Euro 2016: Czech Republic steal wild draw (VIDEO)
By Chase Ruttig
A late handball gave the Czech Republic a miracle draw against Croatia in Euro 2016 Group D action.
Euro 2016 has been a tournament of late drama and Friday’s match between Croatia and the Czech Republic was no exception as a dramatic late comeback gave the Czechs a massive point to keep their hopes alive in France. A miracle header followed by a late penalty in added time helping the underdogs come all the way back from a 2-0 deficit to stun the heavily favored Croatians in a match that was one of the best of the group stage thus far in terms of drama.
Croatia went in front before halftime thanks to a goal from Ivan Perisic and went up 2-0 after Ivan Rakitic beautifully chipped Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech in one of the goals of the tournament. Putting what appeared to be a chokehold on the match after Croatia dominated possession and the chances in the opening hour of the match.
The Czechs then came roaring back following the second Croatia goal, scoring on a perfectly placed header to pull things within one before getting a fortunate late penalty after a handball in the box. Adding to the drama in the final minutes, the match was halted due to Croatia supporters lighting flares in their end of the pitch. Tomas Necid made no mistake with the opportunity to seal the comeback as he rocketed his penalty into the back of the net to earn the miracle draw.
After a crushing late loss to Spain in the 87th minute, it was a nice redemption for the Czechs to earn a point in the final minutes to keep their tournament alive. With four third-place teams advancing to the knockout rounds in this year’s tournament, there is still hope for the Czech Republic to advance if they can earn a win against Turkey in the final round of Group D matches.
As for Croatia, dropping two points will be a disappointment going into their Group D finale against Spain as three points against the Czechs was crucial for their hopes of winning the group. Blowing a 2-0 lead will be a concern, but after looking impressive for the better part of an hour the Croatians shouldn’t be written off yet even after their epic collapse to allow the underdog Czechs to steal a point at the death in what was a wild match in Saint-Etienne.
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