Scotland were not dead and buried at this stage but after Czech keeper Tomas Vaclik saved twice from Dykes, their hopes of getting back into the match seemed to have evaporated. That was Schick's eighth goal in his last 11 international appearances. 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. Yet Schick's astonishing finish in the 52nd minute crushed hopes of a Scottish revival. The second half began with a flurry of activity and the Czechs could have extended their lead with first Schick and then Vladimir Darida drawing fine saves from Marshall, with Scotland almost levelling at the other end when Hendry hit the bar. Scotland cleared the initial ball into the box but Vladimir Coufal curled a cross back into the danger area and Schick rose brilliantly to beat his marker and angle a header into the far corner away from Marshall's despairing dive. The Czechs, who scored more than half of their goals in qualifying from set pieces, earned a string of corners just before the break and finally took advantage in the 42nd minute. Schick had a snap shot palmed away by Marshall after 15 minutes but he made his mark decisively just before halftime. Yet the Czechs weathered the early pressure and grew into the game, taking the sting out of Scotland's attacks before moving further up the pitch. #Schick soccer full#Scotland began the game at full throttle, fuelled by a vociferous home crowd who seemed to defy the fact that there were fewer than 10,000 of them in the stadium. The result left the Czechs on three points, level at the top of Group D with England, who beat Croatia 1-0 on Sunday, while Scotland will already be feeling nervous about their prospects ahead of their next game against England on Friday when the Czechs face Croatia. While Scotland were profligate, 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. "It’s a tough lesson for us that at the highest level, at the best tournaments, you have to take your chances," said Scotland captain Andy Robertson. The game would have had a different complexion had Jack Hendry found the net instead of cracking an effort against the bar early in the second half, while Lyndon Dykes was guilty of wasting two superb opportunities. 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. Schick described his effort as "a cherry (on the cake)," and added mischievously that he had clocked Marshall frequently advancing up the pitch earlier in the match. "The second goal was something out of this world." #Schick soccer how to#"We know he is a genius and he knows how to finish," Czech coach Jaroslav Silhavy said. "We controlled the game and made the most of our opportunities," said Porto striker Taremi.At 49.7 yards, the Bayer Leverkusen forward's astonishing effort was officially the furthest recorded distance from which a goal has been scored at the European Championship. We had our chance that is also why the defeat is a real pity," said Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah. They took an early lead and defended well. We made mistakes but the result doesn't reflect our performance. Leverkusen pressed for a consolation, but Schick missed the target from 11 meters before Costa was equal to Moussa Diaby's hammer in the closing stages. Taremi showed no mercy and wrapped up his brace off the left-hand post. Things went from bad to worse at the hour mark as the referee pointed to the penalty spot again after Odilon Kossounou fouled Galeno inside the area. Taremi stepped up and kept his nerves after beating Lukas Hradecky with a chip into the center of the goal in the 53rd minute. The Werkself remained on the front foot but were unlucky moments later when Patrik Schick's goal was disallowed due to a handball.Īfter the restart, Xabi Alonso's men started where they left off as Amine Adli unleashed a dangerous shot on target in the 49th minute.Īdli remained in the thick of things as he felled Galeno inside the box to concede a penalty. Leverkusen responded well and had a golden chance to restore parity in the 16th minute, but Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa saved Kerem Demirbay's penalty.Ĭosta was also on guard at the half-hour mark when he neutralized a close-range attempt from Mitchel Bakker. The visitors from Portugal made a fairy-tale start on the road and stunned Leverkusen with the opener in the sixth minute as Galeno finished off a solo run from 10 meters into the bottom corner. Mehdi Taremi's second-half brace paved the way for Porto's 3-0 away victory over Bayer Leverkusen in UEFA Champions League Group B on Wednesday.
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