Composed Kadlec stands out in Czech victory
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Article summary
A solid defensive display by Czech Republic centre-back Michal Kadlec led to the Bayer 04 Leverkusen player topping the Castrol EDGE Index for his team's Group A win over Greece.
Article top media content
Article body
In a match which evoked memories of the UEFA EURO 2004 semi-final between these nations, Czech Republic centre-back Michal Kadlec stood tall as his team dealt Greece's tournament hopes a significant blow.
The Bayer 04 Leverkusen defender, who topped the Castrol EDGE Index with a score of 9.24, helped the Czechs avenge their extra-time defeat in Porto eight years ago.
During a first half in which Michal Bílek's side raced into a two-goal lead, the 27-year-old was particularly economical with his distribution, finding his intended target with all but one of his 24 passes. Though his accuracy waned after the break, Kadlec still outshone all others with a match-high completion rate of 86%.
The former AC Sparta Praha player also excelled in the basic arts of defending such as blocking – including a volley from Dimitris Salpingidis – retrieving possession and maintaining a sturdy defensive line. Such was the Czechs' success in this department that Fernando Santos's charges were flagged offside six times, a tournament high.
Midfielder Tomáš Hübschman (8.83) and left winger Václav Pilař (8.7), scorer of the Czechs' second goal, made it a clean sweep for the Národní tým. Pilař, who had shone against Russia on Friday, was in fourth place in the overall Index after the first set of group games.
Castrol EDGE Index: Greece v Czech Republic
1. Michal Kadlec (CZE) 9.24
2. Tomáš Hübschman (CZE) 8.83
3. Václav Pilař (CZE) 8.7
4. Giorgos Karagounis (GRE) 8.6
5. Petr Jiráček (CZE) 8.44
Key facts
2 – Czech goals in the first six minutes, courtesy of Petr Jiráček and Pilař.
4 – Touches by the Czech Republic in the Greece penalty area in the first half; two of those resulted in goals.
6 – Times Greece were flagged offside, a tournament high.
26 – Fouls committed by the Czech Republic, more than any side in a single game at UEFA EURO 2012 so far.
96 – Percentage of passes completed by Kadlec in the first half in Wroclaw.
Player view
Tomáš Hübschman: "The main aim of today was to get a good result that would give us a chance of advancing from the group. It feels great to get the win and it has given us the chance to go into the match against Poland with a good opportunity of advancing."
