Published: Today at 18:53
EARLY goals from Petr Jiracek and Vaclav Pilar left Greece with another Euro crisis on their hands.
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With the country in financial meltdown, the Greek fans were banking on the national side giving them a much-needed boost by progressing from Group A.
But after drawing their opening Euro 2012game with co-hosts Poland, Fernando Santos' side must now overcome Russia to be in with a chance of reaching the knockout stages.
Truth be told, it took just six minutes for this game to turn into a Greek tragedy.
Jiracek scored in the third minute and Pilar netted what proved to be the winner just three minutes later.
Czech Republic keeper Petr Cech gifted Theofanis Gekas a goal eight minutes into the second half but it proved to be little more than a consolation as the Czechs bounced back from a 4-1 defeat to Russia.
Jiracek put the Czechs ahead as he ran on to Tomas Hubschman’s pass to fire home, despite Greek keeper Kostas Chalkias getting a hand to his left-footed shot.
Chalkias was then at fault for the second as he failed to cut out Theodor Gebre Selassie’s low cross, allowing Pilar to tap in his second goal of the tournament.
The lively Pilar came close to adding a third as he played a neat one-two on the edge of the area before firing just wide.
Georgios Samaras had Greece’s first sight of goal but the Celtic striker made a mess of meeting Vassilis Torosidis’ cross.
Chalkias’ miserable day continued as he was forced off after just 21 minutes, with Michalis Sifakis coming on to replace him.
Czech captain Tomas Rosicky was booked after his high boot caught Greece counterpart Giorgios Karagounis on the head, before his low drive forced Sifakis into his first save.
Greece thought they had pulled a goal back five minutes before the break as Georgios Fotakis headed in a Torosidis cross, but he was wrongly ruled to have been offside.
It should have been 3-0 seconds after the restart as the Czechs, who replaced Rosicky with Daniel Kolar during the interval, surged forward.
Gebre Selassie broke away down the right but Milan Baros could not get the ball out of his feet just 10 yards out.
And it was the Greeks who found the net next thanks to a calamitous mistake from Cech.
The Chelsea keeper came racing out for an aimless long ball but, distracted by Tomas Sivok, lost control and substitute Gekas had the simple task of directing the loose ball into an empty net.
Buoyed by the goal Greece finally began to exert some control with Karagounis and Samaras becoming increasingly prominent.
But they struggled to create any genuine clear-cut chances as the Czechs comfortably saw out the closing stages for a vital win.
Greece: Chalkias (Sifakis 23), Torosidis, Kyriakos Papadopoulos, Katsouranis, Holebas, Fotakis (Gekas 46), Maniatis,Karagounis, Salpingidis, Samaras, Fortounis (Mitroglou 71). Subs not used: Tzorvas, Tzavelas, Malezas, Makos,Liberopoulos, Ninis, Fetfatzidis. Booked: Torosidis, Kyriakos Papadopoulos, Salpingidis.
Goals: Gekas 53.
Czech Republic: Cech, Gebre Selassie, Sivok, Kadlec, Limbersky, Hubschman, Plasil, Jiracek, Rosicky (Kolar 46), Pilar, Baros (Pekhart 64), Kolar (Rajtoral 90).Subs not used: Lastuvka, Suchy, Hubnik, Necid, Rezek, Petrzela, Lafata, Darida,Drobny. Booked: Rosicky, Jiracek, Kolar.
Goals: Jiracek 3, Pilar 6.
Att: 35,213
Ref: Stephane Lannoy (France).
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