Czechs make most of home advantage

The Czech Republic took a significant step towards next summer's UEFA European Under-21 Championship after opening up a commanding 3-0 lead over Greece in their play-off tie.

The visitors were up against it from the very first minute when FK Jablonec's Jan Vošahlík, playing on his home ground, capitalised on a defensive lapse to break the deadlock. Club-mate Tomáš Pekhart soon doubled the advantage from the penalty spot and a late goal from Libor Kozák leaves Greece with a mountain to climb in Tuesday's second leg in Tripoli.

Visiting coach Georgios Georgiadis may have been more optimistic when he saw Czech counterpart Jakub Dovalil had opted to play with just one up front but his side endured a torrid start. Vošahlík pounced on a Vassilis Koutsianikoulis mistake to make it 1-0 inside 60 seconds and Greece were then indebted to Asterios Giakoumis for repelling Milan Černý after the Czech midfielder had broken clear.

The goalkeeper could do nothing on 17 minutes when Pekhart drove in his eighth goal of the campaign from the spot after captain Dimitrios Siovas had been penalised for handball. To their credit, the visitors refused to bow their heads and dominated from there on in: a combination of the woodwork, which denied Giannis Papadopoulos, keeper Tomáš Vaclík and a goal line clearance from Ondřej Mazuch kept them at bay.

The Czech Republic were more clinical and, 13 minutes from time, substitute Libor Kozák headed in Tomáš Hořava's cross to make it 3-0. Still the visitors came but ultimately to no avail, a miserable afternoon compounded just before the final whistle when Kyriakos Papadopoulos picked up a yellow card that rules him out of Tuesday's return.