Czechs overwhelmed by support at open session

Over 4,500 fans turned out to support the Czech Republic as the team staged open training session in Plzen ahead of Sunday's UEFA EURO 2016 qualifier against Iceland.

The supporters applauded the players throughout the practice, celebrating every goal as though the session was a regular match. "Češi, Češi," rang around the stadium, and sparked memories of similar conditions at the Czech Republic's training camp in Wroclaw at UEFA EURO 2012.

"When I arrived at the stadium I had a big advantage as I could tell the bus driver where to park and I already knew the way to the dressing room," joked coach Pavel Vrba – formerly of FC Viktoria Plzeň – when asked at the press conference about his return to the city.

"It's quite unusual to open the last training session, but international games are rarely held in Plzen so we wanted to do something special for our supporters," Vrba added.

Pavel Vrba spent five years at Plzeň and became the most successful coachin the club's history, leading the club to two titles, a cup win and two seasons of UEFA Champions League football.

"I expect that the atmosphere will be similar to the one we experienced when we played in the Champions League or Europa League. The winners of this match will certainly take a big step towards the finals France, we all know that. But this fixture is more important to us than it is to Iceland as we are playing at home. I hope these fans will help push us to success," said the 50-year old.

The local fans have not forgotten Vrba's achievements at club level and made that known to the coach by chanting his name during the training session. He was visibly moved. "I knew some people would come, but I never expected as many as that."

The scene is set for a thrilling contest between two teams with a 100% record in Group A. Said Vrba: "I hope we are going to please the fans again, just like we have in our first three games."