![]() ![]() (Thanassis Stavrakis/AFP via Getty Images)Įarly in the second half, Marcus Berg misfired inside the area for the other good chance wasted by Sweden. Spain defender Jordi Alba, left, and midfielder Rodri, right, vie for a header with Sweden defender Marcus Danielsson during a scoreless draw between the team's on Monday. Olsen also saved a close-range header by substitute Gerard Moreno in the 90th minute. The team came close to breaking the deadlock near the end of the first half when Real Sociedad forward Isak Alexander had his shot from inside the area hit the post after deflecting off Spain defender Marcos Llorente in front of the goal line.Īlvaro Morata had Spain's best chance just a few minutes earlier but his shot missed wide with goalkeeper Robin Olsen the only opponent to beat inside the box. Sweden looked dangerous only on rare occasions. Spain dominated possession and stayed close to the Swedish net for most of the match but couldn't capitalize on its many scoring opportunities at La Cartuja Stadium. ![]() The chances came and went but neither Spain nor Sweden managed to put any of them in the net Monday in a 0-0 draw at the European Championship. The win put the Czechs above England, who beat Croatia 1-0 at Wembley on Sunday, at the top of the Group D standings. "I saw him, I checked in the first half when this situation would come," he told the BBC. Still thinking about how much curl Patrik Schick put on that lob from halfway □ /1rDPxYeyET- said he had anticipated he would catch Marshall in no man's land and added the Czechs headed into the game well prepared for Scotland's tactics. We showed good invention and had chances to get back into the game but the breaks went against us at the wrong time." "He produced a marvellous finish and from there it becomes a difficult afternoon. "If had been on his line he would have caught it but sometimes you have to credit the goalscorer," Clarke told an online news conference after the match. Scotland manager Steve Clarke refused to blame Marshall and instead heaped praise on Schick. The 25-year-old forward put the Czechs in front three minutes before halftime as he towered above two defenders to power home a header, but his second goal seven minutes into the second half will almost certainly be one of the tournament's greatest.Ī blocked effort in midfield saw the ball fall to Schick, who spotted Scotland goalkeeper David Marshall off his line and fired an audacious long-range left-footed lob that curled through the air with unerring accuracy to thunder into an empty net. ![]() □ Will there be a better effort than THIS in the first round of games? | #EUROGOTR | #EURO2020 Schick scored twice, including an extraordinary 45-metre effort from just inside the halfway line, to give the Czech Republic a 2-0 win over Scotland in their European Championship opener at Hampden Park in Glasgow on Monday. Poland fell behind when Robert Mak beat two defenders on the left flank with neat footwork and cut inside before his shot hit the post and rebounded off Szczesny into the net. Slovakia took an 18th-minute lead out of the blue through an own goal by Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny before Karol Linetty equalised in the 46th. The 26-year-old centre back netted with a superb 69th-minute shot into the bottom right corner after Poland had Grzegorz Krychowiak sent off in the 62nd for a second yellow card. In St Petersburg, Slovakia defender Milan Skriniar capped a memorable afternoon as he complemented a superb all round display with the winner in their 2-1 win over 10-man Poland in the opening Group E clash. ![]() The result left the Czechs on three points, level at the top of Group D with England, who beat Croatia 1-0 on Sunday. Yet the Czechs were worthy winners, soaking up Scottish pressure in the first half, and quieting a noisy Hampden Park crowd, who were seeing their side play in a major tournament for the first time since the 1998 World Cup. Scotland had battled gamely on their return to tournament football after a 23-year absence and spurned a number of excellent chances of their own, with Lyndon Dykes guilty of wasting two superb opportunities. There appeared to be little danger when the forward latched onto the ball just inside the Scotland half, but his instant finish curled past Marshall, who was scampering to get back into his goal, and dipped just beneath the bar. At 49.7 yards, the Bayer Leverkusen forward’s astonishing effort was officially the furthest distance from which a goal has been scored on record at the European Championship according to Opta. ![]()
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