ELEVEN FACTS ABOUT HOLLAND - CZECH REPUBLIC
With Holland’s showdown with the Czechs beckoning, KNVB.nl provides you with eleven historic facts about this clash of European soccer giants, starting with Dick Advocaat’s performances against the Czech Republic. In this edition we complete the eleven facts with a generous centurion and two Juventus rivals.
11.
Not only Ajax-players Rafael van der Vaart and Tomás Galásek are likely to clash in the Kuip Stadium. Juventus aces Pavel Nedved and Edgar Davids also won’t be friends for ninety minutes. Two short bios:
Pavel Nedved
When Zizou Zidane left for Real Madrid, Juventus chairman Agnelli was desperate to replace the French star player. But who in the world could replace the world’s finest player. The answer came from Lazio. It seemed unlikely he would make the fans forget the French master’s skill and overall brilliance, but ever since joining Pavel Nedved has tried his best. The technically sound Nedved, once eyed by PSV Eindhoven, gives Juve and the Czech national side depth on the left and causes every defence problems. The voters on this site agreed: he’s the Czechs’ best man.
Edgar Davids
Juventus based Edgar Davids epitomises the modern day central midfield player, combining an unrivalled attitude with huge technical ability, which he developed on the streets of northern Amsterdam. There is a remarkable difference between the man on or off the pitch. He seems cut up for a leading role in midfield, but can make somewhat of a mysterious impression once off the pitch and in front of television camera’s. His streetwise image at times irritates people, but one thing can be made perfectly clear. Once he pulls the orange jersey over his dreadlocks, he’s more focussed than anyone. In Davids, the Czechs are facing a real handful….of dynamite.
10.
Frank de Boer has over handed sprinter Troy Douglas a 20.000 euro cheque. To mark his hundredth appearance for Holland, he would like to gesture to the athlete by aiding him financially in his preparation for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. “I hope to find other football players to support more athletes in their quest to reach their sporting goals.”
9.
The Czech Republic was founded in 1993, at the time of the Czechoslovakian split. Vaclav Havel was the first Czech president. The country borders Slovakia, Germany, Poland and Austria. Vaclas Klaus won the most recent Czech elections, and hopes to lead his country into the European Union in 2004. The small country has ten million inhabitants. Some famous Czechs: Franz Kafka (writer 1884-1923), Martina Navratilova and Ivan Lendl.
8.
Football was first played in the former Czechoslovakia, in Bohemia. Slavia Prague is the oldest club, founded in 1892. Early successes were the demolition of Sturm Graz (14-0), Bayern München (13-0) and FC Nürnberg (12-2). Seven years before the turn of the century saw the birth of archrival Sparta Prague. Until 1949, just one team succeeded in stopping the Prague domination of Czechoslovakian soccer. In 1928 Viktoria Zizkov won a league title. From the fifties onwards Slovakian teams like Spartak Trnava and Slovan Bratislava mixed it up with the Prague giants, claiming titles on a few occasions.
On the international front, the Czechs have competed from the early years of the twentieth century. In 1920, during the Antwerp Olympics, they showed true superiority. France, Norway and Yugoslavia all got beaten convincingly on route to the Olympic final, where hosts Belgium kicked the living daylights out of their opponents. 2-0 behind, the Czechs stepped off the field and got disqualified. Spain and Holland fought it out for the silver medal. Spain prevailed.
More recently, the Czech Republic did exceptionally well during EURO 1996 in England, where eventually the Germans halted their march towards glory in the final. Nedeved, Poborsky, Berger and Nemec featured in the final, to name a few stars. Twenty years before this surprising feat, Czechoslovakia claimed the first European Championship in Spain, beating Germany in a penalty shoot out, after having claimed Holland’s scalp in the semis. In the final Panenka’s legendary chipped penalty sank the Germany.
7.
Only three Dutch players ever put a ball behind a Czech goalie. The first Dutchman to score against the Czech Republic is Wim Jonk. On the 26th of April 1995 he opens the score in the seventh minute of a Prague qualifier. The Czechs respond by thrashing Holland 3-1.
Jaap Stam is the second player to have netted against the Czechs. In preperation for EURO 2000 the Dutch face the Czechs in Eindhoven’s Philips Stadium. Jaap Stam sees his 59th minute opener cancelled out nine minutes later by Jan Koller.
During EURO 2000 Frank de Boer scores a much discussed penalty against the Czech Republic. His brother Ronald takes a dive in the area and ref Collina offers the Dutch a penalty kick. Against the run of play he scores to send the unlucky Czechs packing.
6.
“A win against the Czechs will mean double joy for me,” says centurion-to-be Frank de Boer. Skipper and recordholder De Boer will become the first Dutch international to gain 100 caps next Saturday if, obviously, he plays. “One hundred caps. It has a certain ring to it, doesn’t it?”
5.
With 65 caps and 36 goals to his credit Patrick Kluivert is somewhat of a star in the national team. A position in Advocaat’s first eleven is never subject to discussion. Almost ten years ago, on the 16th of November, Kluivert made his full international debut. Remarkably under the same manager, in the same stadium and against the same opposition as Holland face Saturday in Rotterdam. Kluivert who formed a strike force together with retired Schalke ’04 ace Youri Mulder, but both failed to score. The imortant European qualifier ended 0-0.
4.
Holland’s negative balance against the Czechs hasn’t influenced the fans’ trust in the national side. In a poll held on KNVB.nl, a huge eighty percent expect Holland to overcome next Saturday’s Czech threat.
3.
The Dutch suffer their biggest defeat at the hands of the Czechs in 1976. During the first European Championship, Czechoslovakia send favorites Holland packing. The runners-up of the 1974 World Championships crash out 3-1. Johan Cruijff and Johan Neeskens are both shown the red card.
What remains for manager George Knobel’s side is a third place play-off. The Dutch beat Yugoslavia by the same scoreline as their encounter with the Czechoslovakians, who surprisingly conquer West Germany in the final to claim the first European title.
2.
Whether or not they are joined by the Slovakians; the Czechs have always been tough opposition for the Dutch. There were only three wins for Holland against the former Czechoslovakian side in ten attempts. Six losses and a draw complete those statistics. After the split in 1993, Holland has managed two draws, a loss and a win against the Czech Republic.
1.
Only once before did Advocaat ever play the Czechs. On the road to EURO 1996 in England, the Dutch crossed swords with the Czech Republic in the Rotterdam Kuip stadium on November 16th 1994. Kluivert came from the bench and Van der Sar was second choice to Chelsea’s (then Feyenoord) Ed de Goey.
The game didn’t go down in history as one of Holland’s best. It ended the way it started: 0-0. Holland did manage to qualify for the tournament, which saw the Czech Republic make it to the final. Two Bierhoff strikes cancelled out any suprise in the final and Germany were crowned European champs. By then Advocaat was with PSV and Hiddink had taken over.
Taken from www.knvb.nl