"It is definitely a loss. We are disappointed". This is the statement of the coach of the Czech Republic, Jaroslav Šilhavý, after the 1-1 draw with Albania in Prague.
"It is definitely a loss. We are disappointed". This is the statement of the Czech coach, Jaroslav Šilhavý, after the 1-1 draw with Albania in Prague. The Reds were blessed with a super goal by Nedim Bajrami in the 66th minute, to get a point with value against the leaders of the group, to keep alive the hopes of going to the finals of Euro 2024.
"Especially in the second half, we had a chance, we improved the game, we scored two goals, but unfortunately only one was valid. And then, after our mistake, we offered a goal to the opponent. We couldn't get him back on our side. It's a shame, we should have won", says Šilhavý.
Is it a complication in the fight for Euro qualification?
Unfortunately, we only got one point, but the race for qualification continues. Albania plays Poland next, we go to Albania after that, that can also tell a lot. Too bad we didn't take advantage.
Were you satisfied with the performance in the first half? The team did not succeed at all.
We were surprised. We prepared honestly for the match, we knew well what it was about, that it was an important duel. Then we started to get nervous, no movement, no fight... The first half didn't work for us. I'm glad we improved it in the second and put in a better performance.
Why did you replace Václav Černý, the most active Czech player, after seventy minutes?
I don't know if it was the most active, maybe that's your point of view. We had other strikers on the bench who were also waiting for their chance. For this reason too, we reached out to oxygenate our game.
Who was to blame for the draw? Was it the loss of the ball by Alex Král, or should someone have performed better against Nedim Bajrami?
The truth is probably somewhere in between. I don't want to judge or punish anyone, I didn't exactly see it. But maybe it's Alex's loss, then the goalscorer used it very well. He hit it brilliantly.
Král struggled in the match, but still played 90 minutes. Have you considered changing it?
We alternated differently, in the end we took out a defender for purely tactical reasons, we wanted to have an advantage in the match. I didn't think Alex played badly. He made a mistake, it happens.
Will you change the formation much for Hungary?
I won't say that right now. Of course we would like to change the team, but the game is prestigious, even if it is not about points. We will want to play it in a confrontational way, the Hungarians are in good form and have interesting results. We cannot underestimate them.