Ladislav Krejci draws inspiration from Czechia’s 2019 win over England
Wolves defender recalls previous England-Czechia clash.
Czechia captain Ladislav Krejci says the nation are taking inspiration from their famous 2019 victory over England as they seek another win against the odds.
Thomas Tuchel’s men head to Prague on Tuesday looking to bounce back from their helter-skelter 3-2 defeat to world and European champions Spain in Saturday’s Nations League opener.
England were given a shock on their last visit to Czechia, where they fell to their first qualifying defeat in a decade as debutant Zdenek Ondrasek secured a deserved 2-1 triumph.
Harry Kane opened the scoring from the spot and is set to be the only player from that night to start again on Tuesday, when Wolves defender Krejci is dreaming of another underdog success.
“I remember I watched it on TV,” said the 27-year-old, whose fitness is being assessed ahead of the Group A3 encounter.
“I didn’t play back then but it was really a great victory for the whole nation because defeating one of the best European and world teams in football is great.
“It’s the kind of thing that shows us that even a little nation like us can do a feat like this, so that’s why we go into this game with this motivation.
“Really, that’s the greatest thing when you represent your country. When you play against these kind of players and teams, and when you manage to defeat them. It would really mean a lot if we could replicate that.”
Czechia boss Santi Denia admits he was unaware of that win against England, having only taken charge in July.
Saturday’s 2-1 home loss to Croatia was the Spaniard’s first match in senior international management, but he has plenty of national-team experience from his time within the Spain set-up.
Denia oversaw victory against England in the 2017 Under-17 European Championship final and was in charge as Spain lost the Under-21 showpiece to Lee Carsley’s side in 2023.
“England two months ago is third in the World Cup, two years ago in the final of the Euros,” he said. “It’s one of the best teams in the world.
“They have individual players who are unbelievable and an amazing head coach.”
Asked for his view of England’s development given his experiences with Spain, he said: “The development of the FA is unbelievable.
“They have invested a lot of money in their young players, the facilities and this is the way to grow. I think it is one of the best federations in the world.”