Czech Republic (National Football)

The quarterfinals of the 2012 European Championships will get off to a stunning start when Czech Republic takes down Portugal.

Few give the lightly regarded Czech's much of a chance in this match, after all, they are ranked 28th in the world to Portugal's 10th, but this team is coming together and playing as a unit.

So strap in because it is going to be a wild ride. Here is how it will play out. 

Cristiano Ronaldo Will Score

In his first two matches at this tournament, Ronaldo was a giant disappointment. He hadn't found the goal, and he hadn't made much of an impact in any way. 

Then, in Portugal's third match, he was given a little more freedom and he went off. He had two goals and narrowly missed a hat trick. 

He will carry that momentum and freedom into this match and add another goal to his total. 

Petr Cech Will Sparkle

Cech struggled with a shoulder injury earlier in this tournament, but he is now healthy and ready to go. 

Cech is a supremely talented goal keep and the heart of this team. He takes international competition seriously, and he will will himself to a stunning performance here. 

The Czech's defense as a whole has been rapidly improving, but they will have moments where they struggle against the flashy Portugal attack. Cech will be there to save them time and again. 

Czech Republic Will Pull off the Upset

This Czech team is certainly not laden with international talent. Instead, they have a solid core of domestically-based players. 

This is those guys' chance to shine and really make a name for themselves. In a setting like this, hunger cannot be overestimated. 

This is a team that is committed to making the right moves and playing as a team. Their attack is looking better with each minute and they will be able to break down a Portugal defense that can struggle. 

Combine this with the performance Cech is going to put in, and you have a 2-1 Czech win. 

Four days after what ESPN commentator Adrian Healey called the “Russian Concussion,” a determined Czech Republic team rebounded from a disappointing loss to Russia with a 2-1 victory over Greece. The Czechs knew that they would be up against a tough Greek side that came back from a 1-0 deficit to tie Poland in their first game. A loss would have put the Czechs out of the tournament, but the win solidified their chances to move on to the knockout stage.

With their backs against the wall, the Czech Republic needed players to step up. They didn’t know where they were going to get production, but they needed to find a way to win. The sources turned out to be expected and unexpected. Here are the five heroes for the Czech Republic in today’s defeat of Greece:

1. Petr Jiracek

The Czech Republic needed a fast start, and that is just what they got from Jiracek. The 26-year-old winger started the game for the Czechs on a high note, as he pushed a beautiful pass from Thomas Hubschmann past Greek keeper Kostas Chalkias in the third minute for the 1-0 lead. It was Jiracek’s third goal in 12 appearances for the Czech Republic.

The goal for Jiracek got the Czechs going early, as teammate Vaclav Pilar scored not more than three minutes later to increase the early lead to two. After a disappointing attacking performance in the first game against Russia, Jiracek backed his manager’s selection decision and came up with one of the best games of his international career.

2. Vaclav Pilar

After being the best player on the pitch for the Czech Republic against Russia, Pilar again came up with another solid performance in the win over Greece. After Jiracek gave the Czechs an early lead, Pilar increased the lead to two three minutes later after he put home a cross from defender Theodor Gebre Selassie. The VfL Wolfsburg player isn’t the tallest at 5’6”, but he is a master at making space for himself and finding shooting lanes. After two games in Euro 2012 for the Czech Republic, Pilar has arguably been the best player on the pitch.

3. Theodor Gebre Selassie

The Czech defender has been one of the stars of the tournament for the Czechs. Although Russia scored four goals against the Czech Republic in Game 1, Selassie made his mark on the game by defending well and pushing forward when needed. The 25-year-old continued to push up the field in the game against Greece and played across the ball that was finished by Pilar in the sixth minute. The Slovan Liberec player has been a nice surprise in the tournament so far for the Czech Republic, having established himself as a dangerous attacker coming forward.

4. Michal Bilek

Bilek made one change to the starting lineup from the game against Russia. Bilek inserted David Limbersky into the midfield against Greece for Game 1 starter Jan Rezek. The 28-year-old domestic player for Victoria Plzen had a strong game in the midfield for Bilek, and put in some nice crosses looking for the head of Milan Baros.

Besides a few good spells in the game against Russia, Bilek’s team got outplayed. The Czechs had their backs against the wall today, and with a loss against the Greeks, they would not have had a chance to make it to the knockout stages. Bilek made the right changes at the right time, and stuck with his core of star players en route to the win over Greece.

5. Tomas Rosicky

The Czech Republic captain has had his struggles at Arsenal, but so far in the tournament he has been one of the better players on the Czech side. Rosicky played a strong first half against the Russians, but then disappeared for minutes at a time in the second half. He needed to put together a strong performance today, and he did that with the ball at his feet for a good portion of the first half.

Rosicky is known for his movement in the midfield, as well as his ability to link up with the forwards and give them support when needed. It was evident today that the Czech Republic had a much stronger midfield than the Greeks. The numbers in red were far greater than those in blue. The Czechs controlled most of the possession throughout the game, and dominated the little-used center of the field for the Greeks. Although Rosicky was substituted out early in the second half due to an apparent injury, his play in the center of the field should not go unnoticed.

As we enter day five of Euro 2012, Greece and the Czech Republic get ready to face each other in Group A.

It’s early on in the tournament but already exciting. Both teams will be fighting for three points today.

After a disheartening 4-1 loss in their opening game, the Czech Republic will be looking to play with more fire and more urgency. This will not be the way they want to leave the tournament, should it happen within the next few games.

And Greece will be hungry for three points after their first-game draw against Poland. Should they outplay and beat the Czech Republic today, they have a chance to qualify for the quarterfinals.

After their first games, both Greece and the Czech Republic have revealed a few intriguing players who will be key factors in today’s matchup.

Greece: Dimitris Salpingidis

Dimitris Salpingidis scored for Greece in their opening game against Poland, resulting in a 1-1 draw. The powerful striker “was brought on at the beginning of the second half last Friday...when they were trailing 1-0” (via AFP Yahoo! Sports).

The substitution was a wise choice for Greece, as they enter today’s matchup with one point more than the Czech Republic. In their first game, Salpingidis was right where he needed to be for Greece to come back from 1-0.

Salpingidis tapped the ball in after an aerial save by Poland’s goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny. The ball bounced off Szczęsny’s hands and landed right in front of the oncoming Salpingidis. The striker’s finish was what Greece needed to lift the team and match Poland’s goal in the first half.

His entrance into the game gave Greece more energy in the second half. After drawing a foul from Szczesny, Greece won a penalty kick opportunity (but unfortunately missed).

According to AFP Yahoo! Sports, it’s likely that Salpingidis will start in today’s match against the Czech Republic.

After his fifth international goal, we could see some more spark from Salpingidis on the attack.

Czech Republic: Václav Pilař

Despite the devastating 4-1 loss to Russia in their opening game, the Czech Republic had some hope seven minutes into the second half. The Czech Republic was trailing 2-0 coming back from halftime, and with Russia’s forwards hammering goalkeeper Petr Čech, Pilar’s goal kept the team in the game.

With the Czech Republic’s goal at the 52-minute mark, Pilar was the only one from his side to score, preventing a complete shutout in their first game of the tournament.

Pilar is one of the Czech Republic’s best weapons on the attack.

According to Karel Janicek of the Winnipeg Free Press, this is PIlar’s first major tournament, and he has performed well despite the initial lost to Russia.

Pilar’s speed and capabilities on the attack make him an intriguing player to watch in the Czech Republic’s upcoming matchups.

Czech Republic: Theodor Gebre Selassie

Total Football Magazine named the defender as a player to watch in this year’s tournament.

With the score 2-1 in the second half of Czech Republic’s first game against Russia, Selassie looked to tie the game. He shot but missed, hitting the side of the net instead.

Selassie is meeting challenges on and off the field, but keeping his head focused on the tournament and, likely, the importance of today’s matchup against Greece.

The defender is capable of displaying skills on the attack and will be a challenge for Greece.

Tuesday's match between Greece and the Czech Republic has huge implications for both sides in terms of their chances to advance to the knockout stages of the 2012 European Championship.

Greece was able to come away with a draw in its opening match against Poland in Warsaw, despite playing the majority of the match a man down. The Polish side looked in control, and it seemed they would start the tournament off with a win, but substitute Dimitris Salpingidis found the back of the net in the 51st minute to tie the game at one.

They came so close to grabbing three points, but Giorgos Karagounis was stuffed by Przemysław Tyton on a penalty shot.

The Czech Republic was taken behind the woodshed by Russia in its first match, falling in embarrassing fashion 4-1. Goalie Petr Cech said that his team will "play much more aggressively," according to UEFA.com.

They'll certainly need a better effort if they want to avoid being all but mathematically eliminated after their first two games.

Key Player for Greece: Kyriakos Papadopoulos

Sokratis Papastathopoulos is suspended for this one after being sent off against Poland on a controversial call, to say the least. Avraam Papadopoulos, another key defensive contributor for the Greeks, is out of the tournament with a knee injury. The two were part of a stalwart defense that allowed just five goals in the qualifying stage, so this is a huge blow to the back line.

That means Kyriakos Papadopoulos will need to step up for Greece. The 20-year-old finished second in the Bundesliga last season with 118 interceptions and will be looking to neutralize the Czech Republic offense in this match.

His inexperience sometimes causes him to get caught out of position, but if he stays at home tomorrow he'll be a huge part of a Greek win. He's exceptional when it comes to headed clearances, and all other clearances for that matter.

If he can avoid committing silly fouls near the box, Greece might have a blank slate after 90 minutes.

Key Player for Czech Republic: Tomas Rosicky

Rosicky will need to lead the way for his teammates in the Czech Republic's effort to bounce back from a humiliating 4-1 loss to Russia in the opener. Not only will he have to convince his teammates that they can win, but he'll need his performance to reflect that.

The Czech's had a few chances against Russia, but they were unable to capitalize on most of them. Rosicky has to create for his teammates more than he has to make plays for himself.

He's not much of a finisher himself, but if he is able to facilitate for the rest of the Czech attack by way of creative passing and keeping possession, they'll have a chance to climb out of the hole the find themselves in.

Prediction: 2-1 Greece

Greece didn't win its last match, but grabbed a moral victory of sorts, as it was able to score a draw despite playing most of the match with 10 men.

The Czechs, on the other hand, suffered the most embarrassing loss of the tournament for any team thus far.

If Greece can notch an early goal, the Czech Republic is going to roll over for them.

Petr Cech's Czech Republic are situated in Group A—a group his team will view as winnable.

While most see the group as the weakest and least interesting of the tournament, it's actually going to be one of the most hotly contested.

Michal Bilek has a less-than-reliable defensive line and will look to Cech to keep his team anchored in the tournament.

In Numbers

Cech made nine appearances during the qualifying phase for the European Championships this summer.

He kept three clean sheets during the group stage and effectively subdued Montenegro twice in the playoff phase. Czech Republic won 3-0 on aggregate to advance to the final having finished second to Spain in the initial qualifying period.

He's coming off the back of an incredible campaign with domestic club Chelsea and really found form at the right time. His standout performances came against Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League semifinal and final respectively.

He also made one of the best saves I've ever seen against Liverpool's Andy Carroll, during the FA Cup final at Wembley.

What to Expect

Expect Cech to carry his side defensively. As alluded to previously, the Czech Republic's back line is subject to questioning.

Concerns over Roman Hubnik's ability leading up the tournament might see flying full-back Michal Kadlec moved to centre-back and David Limbersky introduced at left-back.

Right-back Theodor Gebre Selassie is promising but largely untested, so the defence could really turn out one of two very different ways.

Cech is a constant, though, and represents a blockade to any striker. As long as he's fit, his side have a chance of a clean sheet. Group A is tight, so conceding as few as possible could be the difference between last place and a quarterfinal berth.

What They Say About Him

Upon signing his new four-year deal in May, Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay had this to say about his No. 1 between the sticks (via The Daily Mail):

"Chelsea fully appreciates the highly significant contribution Petr has made to the most successful period in the club's history, and it is very important to our aim of continuing this level of achievement that he has committed himself to the club until 2016.

'It is clear to anyone who watched the climax to the season just completed that Petr continues to perform as well as any goalkeeper in the world.'

The compliments don't stop there though, as his 208 saves for Chelsea this year landed him the Czech Footballer of the Year Award for the fifth time.

Czech Republic coach Bilek remarked (via iDNES.cz):

"Peter has for years been one of the best goalies in the world. It's a real professional who cares about himself. I think that one can achieve a huge record, because as a goalkeeper will operate at the highest level for long. Expect that overcomes all kinds of records"

To conclude, here is a timely reminder of what he's capable of.

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