Czechs win to snatch Group D

CZECH REPUBLIC sealed first place in Ireland’s Group D with a comfortable victory in Cyprus.

Daniel Pudil put the visitors ahead early on before Jan Koller sealed thepoints 16 minutes from time.

That was enough to ensure the Czechs take the Group D crown irrespective of Germany’s performance against Wales because of their head-to-head record.

Czech Republic took the lead after 11 minutes.

Pudil unleashed a left-footed shot from fully 30 yards which nestled in the bottom-right corner.

Eight minutes later Marek Kulic attempted to double the lead with an effort from the edge of the box but Georgallides held on.

Georgallides was again called into action to action as Matejovsky shotspeculatively from distance.

Cyprus were given a free-kick two minutes before the break when Radoslav Kovac fouled Aloneftis, but the midfielder could not beat the Czech wall.

And Koller put the Czechs 2-0 up when he met Jaroslav Plasil’s 74th-minute corner and headed it into the Cyprus net from 12 yards.

Plasil’s 12-yard effort was comfortably saved by Georgallides and the keeper turned Martin Fenin’s effort wide for a corner before ref Levan Paniashvili’s final whistle.

CYPRUS: Georgallides, Paraskevas, Lambrou, Nicolau (Charalambous 56), Garpozis, Charalampidis (Yiasoumis 62), Makridis (Michail 84), Satsias, Aloneftis, Okkas, Konstantinou.

CZECH REPUBLIC: Zitka, Pospech, Kovac, Rozehnal, Kadlec, Plasil (Kladrubsky 87), Galasek, Matejovsky, Pudil, Kulic (Baros 57), Koller (Fenin 76).

Referee: Levan Paniashvili (Georgia).