The USA had a shocker of a start to their World cup in 2006 by getting thrashed 3-0 by the Czech Republic. Both teams are in the top 5 of the FIFA World Ranking so the match was expected to be a close one.
It was the first match in Group E and takes the Czech Republic to the top of the group. Italy & Ghana are the two other teams in the group and have yet to play.
The Czech Republic got off to an early lead scoring their first goal on the five minute mark after Zdenek Grygera burst down the right and crossed to the 6ft 7ins striker Jan Koller to nod the ball in.
Arsenal's new boy Tomas Rosicky scored the next goal and what was probably the goal of the tournament so far. It was a scorching 30-yarder that flew past Kasey Keller into the top corner, putting the Czechs firmly in the driving seat after 36 minutes.
The Czech's top player was Pavel Nedved who didn't score a goal but had a hand in creating them. It wasn't his pace that was so effective but the way he moved around. The USA didn't seem to know how to play against him.
At one point in the second half Pavel Nedved was brought down twice in quick succession, by Eddie Johnson and Claudio Reyna, as the USA resorted to strong-arm tactics in a bid to snaffle out his threat
After 76 minutes Tomas Rosicky put the result beyond any doubt with his second goal of the match.
The Czechs won but they were already struggling to get Euro 2004 top scorer Milan Baros fit, could now be without Koller after he appeared to tear a hamstring late in the first half and was carried off on a stretcher.
Teams.
USA: Keller, Onyewu, Mastroeni, Pope, Cherundolo, Reyna, Beasley, Convey, Lewis, McBride, Donovan.
Subs: Albright, Berhalter, Bocanegra, Ching, Conrad, Dempsey, Hahnemann, Howard, Johnson, O'Brien, Olsen, Wolff.
Czech Republic: Cech, Grygera, Rozehnal, Ujfalusi, Jankulovski, Poborsky, Galasek, Rosicky, Plasil, Nedved, Koller.
Subs: Baros, Blazek, Heinz, Jarolim, Jiranek, Kinsky, Kovac, Lokvenc, Mares, Polak, Sionko, Stajner.
Referee: Carlos Amarilla (Paraguay)
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