Czechs' family spirit key for Pekhart

Tomáš Pekhart told UEFA.com the Czech Republic squad's spirit of togetherness can help them emulate their 2002 counterparts and be crowned champions of Europe.

A Czech side boasting Petr Čech and Milan Baroš defeated France in a penalty shoot-out to lift the UEFA European Under-21 Championship trophy nine years ago. The man who masterminded that triumph, Miroslav Beránek, has gone on record as saying the current crop of Czech youngsters are better than his vintage. Pekhart, however, believes it is its collective qualities, and not purely the individual talent of some of its members, that make Jakub Dovalil's ensemble so potent.

"Czech teams always play well as a team. We don't have many star players, we play together, and it brings us good results. We hope that'll continue in this tournament," said Pekhart, who has been part of a squad largely unchanged since they finished runners-up at the 2006 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. "We know each other well. The coach has been with us for six years. We’re like a big family. That always helps on the pitch."

Though that spirit came to the fore in qualifying as the Czechs dropped just two points in the group stage, Pekhart did stand out from the crowd. A goal in either leg of the play-off against Greece to seal his nation's place in the final tournament meant the 22-year-old finished as the qualifying competition's leading scorer with nine.

"I hope I'm going to score goals here as well," said Pekhart, who arrived in Denmark in bullish mood after striking 18 times in the Czech First League for FK Jablonec and AC Sparta Praha last season. "If you score, it always gives you extra confidence, which you need as a striker. Each and every goal makes me happier."

The target man had returned to Czech top flight during the 2008/09 campaign with his first club SK Slavia Praha, after a two-year spell honing his finishing skills with Tottenham Hotspur FC in England. While his future at club level now lies in Germany after he secured a move to 1. FC Nürnberg last month, the gangly forward would love nothing more than the opportunity to play in London once more at next year's Olympic Games.

"We're coming here for that. That's the most important thing for us. If we manage to do that, it would be fantastic. It would be a dream to play in the Olympics in London in the best stadiums in the world," said Pekhart, with the semi-finals the immediate target. "We have a strong team. But always in a tournament like this, you also need to be lucky. You can have a penalty shoot-out where you need a bit of luck. I hope we'll have that, and do the best we can."