All the best pictures from the Group A climax
Only the hardest of hearts could not feel for Poland. They had surfed a wave of emotion in the buildup to this tie and they firmly believed that the fairytale script would play out and that on their turf, in front of their passionate supporters, they would march into their first European Championship quarter-final. For the opening half hour, as they subjected the Czech Republic to a battering and this stadium rocked to a memorable beat, it looked as though it would happen. An almighty party loomed. But football has an unerring capacity to reduce dreams to dust in the blink of an eye. Here in Wroclaw, the pain was triggered by a swing of Petr Jiracek's boot.
Rafal Murawski will always remember how he lost possession, allowing the Czechs to break at pace. Milan Baros found Jiracek who, after jinking inside Marcin Wasilewski, delivered the killer blow. With Greece beating Russia, the Czechs advanced as Group A winners. The margins, however, were excruciatingly fine. Had Michal Kadlec not fashioned a miraculous clearance from in front of the line in virtually the last act to deny Jakub Blaszczykowski, the Czechs might have been out. The fairytale was theirs. Petr Cech suggested that Blaszczykowski's shot was going wide and, as such, he had been nerveless. Nobody was fooled. This was drama on a grand scale and Cech's joy was undercut by relief. "I'd just say that it's not about how you start a tournament but how you finish," he said.
It was lovely to see the sportsmanship at full-time. Despite the devastation, the Poland fans applauded the Czechs as they lapped the pitch and, in response, the Czech supporters yelled "Polska, Polska". The atmosphere had crackled at the outset. It was hard to believe that there were a little over 41,000 present.
This was an "I was there" evening, particularly for the Czechs. Nobody could have envisaged their progress at the top of the pile after they suffered a 4-1 thumping by Russia in their opening tie. And they fashioned the result that they needed without their injured talisman, Tomas Rosicky.
For Poland, the equation had been simple. Just win. From the first whistle, there had been an intensity and conviction about them. The Polish anthem sent shivers down the spine and the din in the first half was relentless. It assaulted the senses. Home advantage felt powerful and the Czechs faced the ultimate test of their nerve.
Polish regrets could be located in how they failed to make their flying start count. They created five good opportunities in the opening 22 minutes that ought to have eased them out of sight. Robert Lewandowski, Poland's poster boy, snatched his shot wide of the near post when well placed, Sebastian Boenisch blasted off target after Cech had beaten out Ludovic Obraniak's free-kick and Eugen Polanski was wasteful from Blaszczykowski's pass.
As the rain came down, Polish waves crashed into the Czech defence. Boenisch tried his luck from long-range and forced Cech to turn behind, while even Wasilewski rumbled forward to threaten with a header. The first half flew by. The entertainment was breathless and the elements were in tune: the crashes of thunder were on an epic scale. The Czechs ought to have drawn first blood. Theodor Gebre Selassie, the marauding right-back, got the better of Boenisch and when he cut back a low cross, Vaclav Pilar converged to apply the finish. The winger, though, mis-kicked horribly. The Czechs also finished what was a remarkably open half strongly. Baros stretched but he could not control a high ball in front of goal, Jaroslav Plasil went close with a deflected shot and Przemyslaw Tyton saved from Pilar, whose influence grew. Everybody needed the breather at half-time. Greece's first-half goal against Russia raised the stakes even further. As it stood at the start of the second half, the Czechs needed to win, too.
But Michal Bilek's team could feel that they had drawn the sting from the early frenzy. Gradually, they established their rhythm. Plasil's technique was easy on the eye. Poland struggled to maintain their adrenaline-fuelled energy levels and, not for the first time at this tournament, they could curse their profligacy.
The Czechs were happy to call a slower tempo, and seek to profit from their more measured approach. They controlled the second half and Tyton, who had been preferred to Wojciech Szczesny, excelled to keep Poland in contention. From Plasil's teasing 65th-minute free-kick, Tomas Sivok connected with his header at point-blank range, only for Tyton to block and then palm the ball clear. It was a heart-stopping moment for the home crowd.
The tide, though, had turned. Baros menaced and Poland laboured to make inroads. The goal that crushed them did not come as a surprise and, for perhaps the first time, the voices of the outnumbered Czech fans could be heard. The rain had stopped in the second half and the Polish storm passed. They knew that it would not be their night when Wasilewski missed a gilt-edged header. "It's a bitter pill to swallow," said Franciszek Smuda, who now leaves his post as manager.
At full-time, his players slumped to the turf while the Czechs cavorted in ecstasy. It had been billed as Poland's biggest game since the 1986 World Cup group tie against England, which was settled by Gary Lineker's hat-trick. On that occasion, Poland squeezed through among the best third-placed teams. There were no consolations this time. Read More
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