The Hindu : Sport / Football : Milan Baros' double does the Danes in

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 29, 2004

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Sport - Football

Milan Baros' double does the Danes in

By Michael Walker

PORTO, JUNE 28. As dark a horse as Black Beauty a fortnight ago, the Czech Republic, everybody's new favourite outsider and kitted out in all-white, cantered into the semifinals beating Denmark 3-0 on Sunday night. The Czechs will meet Greece back here on Thursday.

But although the margin of victory was comfortable, Karel Bruckner's Czechs will probably have to play better football for longer to overcome the disciplined Greeks.

After a first half that sapped the spirit, the Czechs produced an unforeseen burst of goal-scoring activity at the start of the second half. Jan Koller began it on 49 minutes and Liverpool's Milan Baros then delivered two quality goals in three minutes to take his total to five. Baros is the tournament's top scorer. You would have got long odds against that on June 12.

Denmark, which had shaded the opening half, was simply blown away. But the three goals in 17 minutes were out of keeping with the match and, it has to be said, with the overall Czech performance. Perhaps the nine players who were rested for Germany and recalled here will illustrate the benefit against Greece.

From the midfield trio of Karel Poborsky, Tomas Rosicky and Pavel Nedved there was little of the vim and imagination that has made so many neutrals fancy the Czechs to win their second European Championship.

Denmark hadn't the luxury of recalling so many stars. In fact it had to cope with the loss of its centre-forward Ebbe Sand, who had been carrying an injury. That meant a more forward role for Jon Dahl Tomasson.

The former Newcastle United man, now of Milan, had thrived in his withdrawn position against Sweden, when he scored both Denmark goals. Physically and mentally Tomasson is a reluctant leader of the line, but he is clever.

Dropping deep in the 16th minute, and asking a question of the Czech centre halves that neither answered, Tomasson found space and the ball. A chipped pass to Martin

Jorgensen resulted in a chance for Christian Poulsen. Tomas Ujfalusi blocked Poulsen's effort then but the same Dane was close with a flick of the head a minute later.

Taking its lead from Tomasson, Denmark was a blur of good movement. Its passing was sharp and after 25 minutes Bruckner was off the Czech bench lifting his hands in the air.

No doubt it was a gesture of inspiration but there was an element of exasperation in his demeanour too.

Some bright early touches from Koller had become a dim memory. The Chelsea-bound goalkeeper Petr Cech did not help, booting the ball upfield aimlessly to the annoyance of his team-mates.

At this stage the eight-day rest the nine Czechs had enjoyed had dulled their sense of occasion. But maybe they were asking if it was an occasion.

The presence of two small-population countries in this city left many seats unoccupied. The atmosphere was pre-season friendly, and when any crowd indulges in a Mexican wave before halftime it is a fair guess the action is less than captivating.

That 16th-minute shot from Poulsen turned out to be the highlight of the first half. No amount of tricky camera angles replaying footage on the big screens during the interval could disguise the paucity of entertainment. The second half had to be an improvement and just four minutes in we were given the stimulus we needed — a goal. The Czechs provided it because despite the fact that he is as visible as a lighthouse, the Danes elected not to mark Koller at a corner.

The stupidity of this was made plain when Poborsky whipped in a ball that Koller met unchallenged about 10 yards out. The Denmark goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen was static as Koller powered a meaty header into the top corner.

Thomas Gravesen rebuked his colleagues fiercely, though he had hardly been brilliant himself. But Denmark was stung, briefly, into a response, Jorgensen displaying some wing skill in creating a half chance for Tomasson that Ujfalusi was pleased to hack clear.

As the game expanded, Sorensen punched a free-kick away that Nedved almost got on the end of, but then Baros suddenly erupted on the game.

A Czech attack down the Danish left appeared to have petered out, when Poborsky slid a cute pass around the back of the red back four. Baros had made an intelligent blind-side run and he showed a nimble right foot and a quick brain to clip the ball over Sorensen as he advanced off his line.

It was a good finish and less than three minutes later Baros had Denmark reeling with another. This was a different variety. Running onto Nedved's inviting pass, Baros revealed strength and pace to beat Martin Laursen. From 18 yards, Baros then smacked a left-foot shot high past Sorensen.

There were 24 minutes left but Denmark's tournament was over.

Line-ups: Czech Republic: Blazek; Jiranek (Grygera, 39), Bolf (Rozenhal, 64), Ujfalusi, Jankulovski; Galasek; Poborsky, Rosicky, Nedved; Koller, Baros (Heinz, 69)

Denmark: Sorensen; Helveg, Henriksen, Laursen, Bogelund; Gravesen, Poulsen; Gronkjaer, Jensen (Madsen, 71) Jorgensen (Lovenkrands, 85); Tomasson.

Referee: V. Ivanov (Russia).

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