Czeching-in as German second-string let in three

CZECH REPUBLIC booked their spot in next summer’s European Championships last night with a 3-0 victory over Germany in Munich.

The hosts had already qualified for the 2008 spectacle but gave up the lead at the top of Group D with the defeat — the three-time European champions’ first loss in European qualifying in nine years.

Libor Sionko gave the visitors a second-minute lead before Marek Matejovsky added a second midway through the first half. Jaroslav Plasil scored a third just after the hour mark to complete the victory.

German coach Joachim Low was without five regulars from his usual starting XI — Jens Lehmann, Michael Ballack, Philipp Lahm, Bernd Scheider and Miroslav Klose.

The Czechs were without top play-maker Tomas Rosicky, but Karel Bruckner’s side made the perfect start.

Plasil’s looping pass from outside the box beat the German offside trap and found Jan Koller, who passed back onto a charging Sionko, who slotted the ball beyond Timo Hildebrand.

Matejovsky doubled the advantage in the 23rd minute as he out-ran Torsten Frings to a loose ball and Christoph Metzelder was unable to dispossess the Czech midfielder. Matejovsky fought to stay on his feet and chipped back against the run of Hildebrand into the far left corner.

Kevin Kuranyi missed two chances to pull one back before the break with off-target headers and Petr Cech made some good saves to keep a clean sheet.

The Czechs added a third on the counter-attack just after the hour mark when Plasil collected a long cross from Daniel Pudil and beat Hildebrand to the left corner.

GERMANY: Hildebrand, Jansen, Arne Friedrich, Mertesacker, Metzelder (Fritz 46), Schweinsteiger (Gomez 65), Frings, Trochowski (Rolfes 46), Odonkor, Kuranyi, Podolski.

CZECH REPUBLIC: Cech, Kovac, Rozehnal, Ujfalusi, Pospech, Galasek, Pudil (Kulic 73), Matejovsky, Sionko (Vlcek 58), Plasil, Koller (Fenin 79).

Ref: Howard Webb (England).