On June 12, in the first round of the FIFA World Cup group stage, Czechia suffered a 1-2 comeback defeat against South Korea. After the match, Czech captain Krejčí, who scored a goal, was interviewed by Jiří Čihák, a reporter for the Czech media outlet "iDNES".
Asked about the two goals conceded in the second half, Krejčí shook his head repeatedly.
"For a long time, we successfully restricted their players, but then we completely and needlessly allowed two players to be unmarked, which was unacceptable. Conceding two similar goals in a row, such mistakes absolutely cannot happen again."
"The disappointment will only last today. The FIFA World Cup schedule is long, and next week our situation might be completely different." Krejčí said in Guadalajara on the eve of Thursday midnight. After the match, the entire team immediately flew back to their base in Dallas, USA, where they will review the opening game.
"A slow start is normal. Most of our team are playing in the FIFA World Cup for the first time, and everyone is trying to stay calm and gradually get into the rhythm of the game."
Goalkeeper Kovář made several brilliant saves, helping the team stabilize the situation. Less than an hour into the match, Krejčí headed in a long throw-in from Kufař, and all the substitutes on the bench were ecstatic. Czech fans had waited twenty years for this moment.
On June 12, 2006, the Czech team coached by Brückner famously defeated their opponents 3-0, with Koller scoring first and the talented player Rosický adding two more goals. Rosický also profoundly influenced Krejčí's career: he brought Krejčí to Sparta Prague, gradually groomed him into the team captain, and together they won two league titles. Now in Guadalajara, Mexico, the story of two generations of Czech football stars intersects again.
When asked if the goal was dedicated to Rosický, Krejčí nodded and said, "I am very grateful to him."
In the footage, he made his signature rock and roll "devil horns" gesture in front of the Czech fans behind the goal — this was Rosický's classic goal celebration in the past.
"He is a lifelong role model for me, and he gave me great encouragement during the World Cup qualifiers playoffs. This moment has special significance, and I hope to continue his glory." As he said this, tears welled up in Krejčí's eyes.
He then reviewed the key issues that led to the team's loss: "We made mistakes in two defensive aspects. Our rhythm was basically stable throughout the game, and we were always restricting the opponent's offense, but two defensive lapses occurred."
The high altitude of the stadium was also a major characteristic of this match. Krejčí admitted that his physical fitness was noticeably exhausted towards the end of the game: "I ran out of energy near the end, but we were not affected in the first half."
The thin air also presented another challenge for the team. "The trajectory of long passes was different from usual, which we didn't notice at all in training. High balls that were normally hard to get over the defense flew further here; conversely, many passes would land about five meters earlier and drift." Both of the team's conceded goals were related to these conditions, but Krejčí stated that this should absolutely not be used as an excuse for the defeat.