Captain says Czech defence must be impeccable
GENEVA (Reuters) - Czech Republic will need an "impeccable" defensive performance if they are to have any chance of beating Portugal in Wednesday's Euro 2008 Group A match, captain Tomas Ujfalusi said on Tuesday.
The Czechs looked decidedly wobbly in the final stages of their lacklustre 1-0 win over co-hosts Switzerland in their opening game and Ujfalusi noted that Portugal have four or five players who can exploit the smallest opening.
"We are well aware that their attackers are very strong, and not just one or two," the defender said at a news conference at the Stade de Geneve, picking out Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani and Simao Sabrosa as the biggest threats.
"They have many fast and dangerous players and we'll have to be very careful and attentive. Our defence will have to be impeccable."
Coach Karel Brueckner gave little away about his personnel plans for the match against the Portuguese, who are strongly favoured to win the group after an impressive 2-0 win over Turkey in their opening match.
He said the whole squad were fit and urged his players to show more creativity in attack than they did against the Swiss.
"The last 10 minutes of the Switzerland match were also a problem," he said at the news conference. "We should have kept control of the ball more effectively."
Switzerland play Turkey in Basel in the other Group A tie on Wednesday. Czech Republic's final match of the group is on Sunday against Turkey in Geneva when the Swiss take on Portugal.
(Editing by Jon Bramley)
