CZE: Pavel Nedved (5), Radek Bejbl (35).

ITA: Enrico Chiesa (18).

CZE: Kouba 6.5; Latal 6.5 (Nemecek, 87), Kadlec 5.5, Hornak 7, Suchoparek 7; Poborsky 6.5, BEJBL 7.5, Nedved 6.5, Nemec 5.5; Berger 6 (Smicer, 64), Kuka 5.5.

ITA: Peruzzi 6.5; Mussi 5.5, Costacurta 6.5, Apolloni (RED, 29), Maldini 6; Fuser 6, Albertini 6, Dino Baggio 5.5 (Carbone, 38 - 6.5), Donadoni 6; Chiesa 6.5 (Zola, 77), Ravanelli 5.5 (Casiraghi, 57 - 5).

REFEREE: Antonio Lopez Nieto (Spain).

AUDIENCE: 37.200, Anfield, Liverpool.

YELLOW CARDS: Suchoparek, Latal, Kuka, Kadlec (Czech Republic); Fuser, Apolloni (Italy).

RED CARDS: NONE (Czech Republic); Luigi Apolloni (Italy).

The best game of the whole tournament by now brought us 3 goals, a lot of goal opportunities, 1 red card, 6 yellow cards, a wonderful skill of both teams and the surprise. Czech Republic, the team seemingly buried after the first game against Germany, opened the struggles in "The Group Of Death" up to the very end, and knowing that the personal balance is now prior to the goal difference, Italy is in trouble, facing Germany in several days and having to collect at least one point. Had it been for the goal difference, Italy would have thanked Angelo Peruzzi for leaving the score just 2:1 with a series of tremendous saves during the last minutes.

Arrigo Sacchi is undoubtedly the most controversial coach of our time. A lot of critics had been poured on him before the game with Russia, with Dino Baggio and Ravanelli on the bench, not talking about all those outside the team; but he was a king after hearing the final whistle. However, yesterday he tried to argue with an infinite wisdom of Catherine the Great: "The winners aren't tried". The defending line stayed the same, and nothing bad can be said about Costacurta, Mussi, later on Carboni and especially Paolo Maldini; however, Dino Baggio and Ravanelli couldn't fill the gaps of Di Livio and a wonderful Gianfranco Zola, and that was mirrored in the result. A choice between Casiraghi and Chiesa was difficult too; Chiesa scored a wonderful goal, but maybe there was a place to play with both of them on the pitch.

Italy started the game stormily, but the very first Czech counterattack showed the defence shouldn't be neglected. 5 minutes gone, Poborsky collected the ball at the left wing and made a wonderful pass to the box; Mussi somehow failed to create an offside trap, and Pavel Nedved stayed there with the ball to roll past Peruzzi, 1:0 with the first goal of Nedved in the National Team. I was full of joy - Nedved scored :-) Italy, however, had been shocked, and the next counterattack made Luigi Apolloni foul the penetrating Kuka and get booked for this (6), which turned out to be fatal later on.

Here started the Italian attacks. Kouba was on the high balls before Chiesa (11) and Ravanelli (16), but he could do nothing against the next attack. Roberto Mussi kidnapped the ball in his half and passed it to Chiesa (18). The latter penetrated through the center, made a great double-pass with Diego Fuser and shot a flat bomb from 7 meters to beat Kouba, 1:1.

Nedved failed to beat Peruzzi after the pass of Poborsky (23), and Ravanelli had the chance wasted in front of Kouba (24), before the red card was shown to Luigi Apolloni (29), the Italian defender's second bookable offence. Maldini had to pass to the center, leaving the left-wing defence to Donadoni, and the Czechs started to attack time after time. The shots of Suchoparek (32) and of Nedved (33) were close but not precise, but in two minutes, it came. 35: Kuka penetrated at the right wing of his, Donadoni wasn't there, and the rush of Maldini was too late. A pass into the box, and Radek Bejbl shot without stopping a flat ball from 16 meters to the right corner of Peruzzi; the keeper stretched, but could just touch the ball. 2:1.

The 2nd half was scoreless, but no less wonderful, with lots of opportunities here and there. Ravanelli managed to preserve the ball for Chiesa (56), but Kouba took it tight. A volley of Berger from 20 meters (61) was imprecise, and so were the shot of Donadoni (64) and the cool volley of Chiesa (67). Kouba was there before Casiraghi (71) and Albertini (74); the shots of Maldini (66) and Suchoparek (77) went high. Hornak headed it high (79), and Donadoni wasted the double-pass with Zola (80), shooting weakly to Kouba's hands. The shot of Nedved (83) was high, and Poborsky's pass went to Peruzzi (82).

The Czechs had 3 wonderful goal chances, but saw the European Club Champion Angelo Peruzzi in his best. The pass of Poborsky found Smicer who rolled it home (69); however, Peruzzi stretched incredibly well on the ground to parry the ball and to collect it in a flight later. Berger kidnapped the ball from Carbone (89) and sent it to Smicer, a wonderful counterattack to be finished with a tremendous save to a corner. The corner was performed, Poborsky himself shot diagonally from 7 meters, and Peruzzi flew again to save his team from humiliation.

The joy could've been full, but glory can betray you. Gianfranco Zola performed a perfect run (92) and left Pierluigi Casiraghi in front of Kouba; the hero of the last game stopped the ball at his chest, advanced a step and shot the ball to pass above Kouba and ... above the bar! An incredible miss, a decent end to this dramatic game. Had all the games of EC'96 been like that, we would have enjoyed full-time.

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