Czechia v Ireland: World Cup road ends in despair after penalty shootout defeat
Czechia goalkeeper Matěj Kovář saves the penalty of Finn Azaz of Republic of Ireland in the penalty shootout during the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers play-off semi-final match between Czechia and Republic of Ireland at Fortuna Arena in Prague, Czechia. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
PENALTIES
Czechs have pen to win it.
Pens down at the Czech end, the lads reckon. Though we're going first. Troy first up.
"I cannot cope," says Shay Given, who reminds us we have Caoimhin in the goals. "We have the better goalkeeper," insists Didi.
Darragh kills that buzz a small bit by reminding us Heimir said we didn't practise pens.
124 mins: Parrott almost broke away but couldn't find the pass. PENALTIES.
122 mins: Ref laying down the law. Wants no Arsenal stuff. Czechs head it away. Throw. O'Brien to wind up. Pinball. Ireland commit foul. That might be that. Though Czechs can launch one last one.
120 mins: We're at time, but plenty left. Long stoppage there. Czechs clear the free-kick. Four added. CORNER IRELAND.
118 mins: Fields of Athenry floods the arena now. Not sure that'll do much for Sammie's headache. Big concern for the lad with medics all around. He's off on a stretcher. Harvey Vale is on. Some time for a debut.
116 mins: Szmodics gets a terrible rattle and is floored. Medics rush on. Heavy tackle. Head injury. Sammie doesn't look in great shape.
115 mins: Szmodics is on for Molumby. To take one? Still time. Browne just foiled trying to slot through Idah.
114 mins: Uefa man tells us: The last competitive penalty shoot-out Czechia took part in was 30 years ago at UEFA EURO 1996! Jan Suchopárek, who is now an assistant coach with the national team, was part of the squad that reached the final
112 mins: That spell of territory didn't amount to too much but it calmed us all down a bit. One last push.
110 mins: You don't care, but the print deadline is half 10. This is inconvenient. It'll be a bendible deadline tonight. John and Brendan will be filing on the whistle, whatever happens. But stick around the website half the night for reaction and pods and whatnot coming through.
109 mins: We have gained a bit of a foothold here. Spent a minute or so in their half. Suddenly they're looking the wearier.
107 mins: Molumby is, how can you put it, bollixed. He's put in a shift.
106 mins: Can we assess Ireland's frame of mind by the time Caoimh took over dispatching that last delivery? Certainly not rushing but not taking an age either. We're not quite settling for the pens.
105 mins: Back again. Big Vik Gyok has plundered a hat-trick for the Swedes. Beat Ukraine 3-1. Tonaki and Moise Kean got italy's goals in their 2-0 win over N Ire.
HALF TIME in ET
104 mins: Would you take pens at this stage? Reckon I would.
103 mins: Wow, Idah almost broke away but a last ditch lunge from Chaloupek, I think, saved Czechs. Almost broke from halfway.
102 mins: That's his last contribution. Kliment on, another striker. Ireland almost break but get stuck in quicksand. We're sinking a bit here as Czechs have all the play now.
99 mins: VAR worries. Czechs want handball. Not a hope. He's still discussing it though. Molumby wasn't in an unnatural, surely. They're entertaining this for a worryingly long time though. No check over. Corner instead and Sulc effort blocked.
97 mins: Phew. Soucek spoons one well over when well placed. Big chance. A full fat chance.
96 mins: Not easy to see how we plot a route into their half without Ogbene to courier the ball forward.
94 mins: Czechs probing. Coleman heads away and Ogbene pins back his ears and charges up the line again. Chieo off now. He has tested the hammers to the limit plenty of times tonight. Adam Idah on. Jimmy Dunne on too, for Seamus Coleman.
91 mins: As Kieran McGeaney might have it, it's down to piggery now. Troy blasts one over.
90: Here we go again. The Uefa man's view: The hosts' persistent efforts, driven by sheer will and determination, eventually broke down the compact defensive block with an equaliser delivered by the new captain.
FULL-TIME: Ireland came up eight minutes short. In truth a second half where we were probably a little too keen to hold what we had, but tiredness undoubtedly played a part after a high-tempo first.
Shay Given says 'one way traffic' second half. Fresh legs played their part.
Didi Hamann felt though we were under pressure Czechs didn't create much and the late goal a bit harsh. Just carry on, he reckons, whatever about staying calm.
This is how the blog on Sport.cz described it: "Both teams do not want to complicate the situation and prefer to kick the ball far from their penalty area."
Still a great chance, says Didi. Yes there is.
The Danes won 4-0, but the way. They will be coming to Dublin Tuesday if we can finish this job. Italy beat the north 2-0.
94 mins: Time for Czechs to load one more free-kick into the mixer. God help us. God left us to our own devices as Soucek and Krejc swung at it. But Caoimh saved the tame effort in the end. Extra time it is.
91 mins: I think we'll take extra-time at this stage. Heimir nonplussed in the dugout.
90 mins: Had a squint at a Czech liveblog. "The atmosphere in Eden has really kicked off and fans in all the stands are jumping to the rhythm of "Whoever doesn't jump is not a Czech, hop, hop, hop!". Ok
88 mins: Ireland had a lot of complaints about the goal, but hard to see what they're about. Just haven't played enough in the second half, realistically.
86 mins: Spare a thought won't you for Brendan who was about to file his uplifting comment piece in about five mins. All torn up. Unless...
84 mins; They've another corner. AH NOOOO. Desmond. 2-2. I hear the young lad downstairs thumping something. Nodded in at near post. Not really nodded, earred in. Ladislav Krejč the man, who in fairness, has been getting his head on plenty. A sickener.
83 mins: Our back three now very much a back five. Sitting in. Ooh ah Paul McGrath is ringing around. No harm throwing him on if he's here.
81 mins: Czechs throwing on subs. Karibec and Salidek. Going for it, you'd imagine.
79 mins: Molumby and Brady celebrate another Ireland goalkick like a lottery win. Tense.
78 mins: Ogbene gains ground up the right again. O'Brien chucks it in and Parrott header saved. Great effort. Big save. Another corner, then another. Troy's patented big toe stretch just fails to make contact with a Molumby hopeful ball. Almost.
75 mins: Ireland fans deliriously cheer Ogbene winning an Ireland goalkick.
74 mins: Fright there after Czech breakaway as ref pointed towards spot. It's just an offside. We give it back to them immediately to have another go. Looking tired now. And that's just me.
72 mins: Utter mayhem there as Ogbene and Coleman ferried ball from one end to other bouncing Czechs (there you go) out of their way. Corner Ireland.
71 mins: Checked what Uefa blog is making of it. "Dara O’Shea celebrates after successfully making an interception". Yeah that's the kind of second half it's been.
70 mins: There was a passage of play there where, if it was the Shipping League, the ref would call a few lads in and tell em to calm down and try and play a bit of football. But sure look...
69 mins: Ireland taking the sting out of it now. I dunno.
68 mins: A pause for introspection. Who reads a liveblog when the match is on the telly? Answers on a...
65 mins: Ryan Manning clocked in the noggin by Provod. He's down, though suspect he'll survive. One of the officials is giving Heimir a bit of jip about something. Robbie Brady on his way too. Two old heads coming. Brown for Taylor and Brady for Manning. The two lads on yellows. Heimir knows the story.
63 mins: Chaloupek fouls Ogbene. Respite. We have entered their 22. Alan Browne coming on.
62 mins: We're not making it stick up top. "There's a lot of people banging into each other," says Ronnie Whelan which is as good a description as any of it.
60 mins: They've a corner. Krejci loops another header well over. Danes 3-0 up. There's Danes all over the Ryanair website looking at prices for Tuesday.
59 mins: Our block would now fit the description low. Czechs are starting to load in the crosses.
58 mins: A few minutes went by there of general rooting and tearing and messing. That's grand.
55 mins: Czech corner, Caoimh punch which goes backwards for another corner. They are starting to pin us in a bit.
52 mins: Corner Ireland. Azaz. Cleared. Molumby rattles the post from edge of box with a hit on the bounce. Unlucky. Rebound eluded Ogbene. 7 attempts to 3 now.
50 mins: The Danes 1-0 up in the other game. Let's not worry about the Danes for now. Kelleher touches over a loopy header by Krejci.
49 mins: O'Brien another long throw then a ball into a box. Collins scatters 2 or 3 Czechs with the strength of 100 horses. Free out.
48mins: Czechs appear pretty pumped now. Hranáč trundles into Troy.
46mins: Back at it, with Come on you boys in Green very audible on the telly.
8:49pm Prodigal son Soucek forgiven and on now for the Czechs. Watch him in the mixer. Darida off. Chaloupek also on for Holes.
8:44pm: Ireland have had 18 attacks to Czechs' 14, according to Uefa's number clickers. Up 6 attempts to 2.
Parrott goal celebrations in Gabby's Irish Pub in Prague.
HALF-TIME: A frenetic, frantic, commendable half from Ireland. Deserved lead. As a football match, it's patchy, spiky, occasionally daft. But even as a neutral, I doubt you'd switch it off. Getting a quick cuppa.
Andrew Horgan reports they had to briefly turn off the telly in his Prague pub to calm the place down. Not sure that would work. It's back on anyway.
The young lad is worried. "Why did he do it," he wonders of the Ryan Manning tug. Let's hope the phrase 'Ryan Manning tug' isn't permanently etched in our history.
On RTÉ, Didi says you wouldn't like that pen given against you, of the Collins one. Reasonable.
45 mins: Sulc slices one a mile wide, but he was in dangerous territory edge of box.
44 mins: Schick losing the rag after dunting O'Shea and not getting away with it. The big man thinks he's invisible.
42 mins: Sulc got in behind and almost teed up Schick who was whistled for a sneaky nibble. Coufal outrageously fortunate not to get yellow for foul on Manning.
41 mins: Ryan Manning steps up. Another long one, but nobody meets it this time. But Ireland quickly nip Czech break in bud. Ends with an Azaz bender. Not quite the pace to trouble...
39 mins: More forraging from Ogbene wins a corner. He is a master forrager.
36 mins: Sweden are 1-0 up v Ukraine, Turkey beat Romania 1-0 in the early one.
34 mins: Forgot to say, in the general mayhem, that it was a Kovář OG for Ireland's second.
33 mins: This Krejčí is chucking his weight around for a lad who went down handy. Rattles into Ogbene again.
30 mins: Other tactical minds are telling me Ireland should calm things down now. I'm not sure. Embrace the chaos lads. But maybe take the odd rest. A Caoimh sit down for a chat with Heimir maybe?
29 mins: The danger now might be that Ireland elect to calm things down and take stock after that whirlwind. And revert to our traditional ways of inviting pressure when ahead. But no sign of that yet.
28 mins: Another Czech lad threw himself down in the box at next free kick. Ref not having that one. You can't be doing that, advises Molumby.
26 mins: 2-1 Schick slots it top corner. There's actually way too much happening. That whole episode really was needless.
24 mins: Corner Czechs. Oh God, penalty. That was daft. Ryan Manning pull on Krejčí. Yes, you guessed it, I'm pasting the Czech names. No real danger, but Manning just left his hand in a sec too long. Allowed the tumble.
22 mins: 2-0. Corner in the mixer by Manning. Nodded into a crowd scene and over the line. OG I think. Dara O'Shea round the back, nodded in. defender swiped it off keeper and in. Troy was sniffing but don't think he'll get this one. He won't mind. Extraordinarily good start.
21 mins: Ogbene got in behind Czechs again and just pulled it back behind the attackers. Another corner for Ireland.
20 mins: Yellow for Jack Taylor, bit rash. Stopping a breakaway. Adrenaline we'll say, charitably.
19 mins: That's six in five for Troy. What a start for Ireland. Heimir doesn't even get up off his seat. Chill.
18 mins: 1-0 IRELAND. Blasted in by Parrott. Czechs well and truly pecked. A goal Ireland's early enterprise warranted.
17: Troy to take.
16 mins PENALTY IRELAND. It was Darida's kick on Collins. The big man did get his toe to the ball first. A touch soft, but prob just about right.
14 mins Šulc, their fancy dan, fires one at Caomhin. A warning shot. Collins is still arguing about he pen and the ref is having a look at the monitor. He did get clipped though we have seen similar waved away in Prem recently.
12 mins Ryan Manning collects a Dara O'Shea rangefinder well advanced and wins a throw deep in Czech territory. Ireland showing ambition. Long throw by O'Brien. Collins got a boot. HE GOT A BOOT. No penalty anyway. Lads in comms hoping for a VAR.
10mins: It has flown by, reckons Ronnie. Yeah but you're not typing.
7:55pm Ireland are at it, as they say.
7:53pm Very positive start by Ireland. Though the pre match routine means I'm wary of the old Home and Away tradition that the minute you say things are going very well, there will be a search and rescue mission needed any second.
7:52pm Just realised I should have studied how to spell the Czech lads' names right. OOH Nathan Collins rattles one off the crossbar. And from the corner Collins wide with a header. Big chance. Couldn't quite direct it.
7:51pm No ticket, no problem for Irish fans singing anthem in Prague pub.
7:50pm Ireland getting on front foot. Seamie Coleman winning it back near Czech corner flag a sign of early intent.
7:48pm First corner for Ireland, Ogbene wins it with his energy. Ogbene energy will be needed tonight you feel. Czechs clear it after a bit of a scramble.
7:46pm They're off, a small bit late by my watch. Decent highish camera angle at the Fortuna.
7:44pm Reminder Ryan Manning and Jack Taylor the changes from Budapest.
7:43pm At the Munster Championships launch, Maurice asked the Gah lads earlier what they are thinking...
7:40pm Ronnie Whelan in the gantry with Des. And stand for the anthem... Munster final roar at the finish of Amhrán na bhFiann. Young Czech mascot giving it the 6/7 gesture during their lullaby of an anthem. Advantage Ireland.
7:38pm Shay Given reckons we'll be hiding behind the sofa but that Ireland can do it. Didi also reckons it's doable. That's the pitchside vibe. Hope is seductive.
7:35pm Here's how Uefa have them lining up. Though they are traditionally wrong.
7:28pm Do we agree with the panel being pitchside? Not for me. I like my panels completely detached from the occasion, ranting like lunatics in some bunker.
7:26pm The RTÉ panel have moved pitchside under the command of Darragh, so it's actually Des Curran in the gantry. George, of course, has his own podcast these days. Here's what he used to do when the late team news didn't match his prep.
How does a commentator prepare for a game like tonight’s? @HamiltonRTE talks us through the preparation!
— Its There! (@ItsTherePod) March 26, 2026
Listen: https://t.co/bNVAWQGmFS pic.twitter.com/36TMZiXq7X
7:24pm Heimir seems chill. "It's a big game probably." Taking confidence from all the Irish around the place.
7:23pm Ah would you look at the room these lads have booked in Prague. I say that, but am I certain it's not AI, not really. That's where we are.
Two Ireland fans booked this room for 220 euro which includes breakfast. And, obviously, free entrance.
— YBIG (@YouBoysInGreen) March 26, 2026
Superb 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/YcYidGGE1e
7:20pm A reminder the other 'semi-final' is live on Virgin - Denmark v North Macedonia. That's one you'd like to see the viewing figures for.
7:20pm says: As expected, a nice sprinkling of green in the home sections already, a flag or two included. All those warnings about the Czechs asking for proof of citizenship at the gates seems to have been hot air - as that stuff always is.
Obviously, if either side goes 2-0 up late doors, it will be obligatory to declare 'Czechmate'.
Just looking into my records here. And I believe it’s as long ago as 2012 that dangerhere.com attempted to issue a cease and desist to George Hamilton for excessive use of ‘bouncing Czechs’ whenever there were exuberant Czech Republic fans on screen. Will Darragh Maloney go there tonight?
Probably a bit late to paper the dressing room door, but I was looking on Czech sports websites earlier. Judging by a headline on Sport.cz, some people at least seem to be getting ahead of themselves… "The Danes are already seeing each other in Prague. But they are afraid of the play-offs: We are very fragile". That's what Google Translate reckoned anyway.
Brendan O'Brien says: Czech TV has shown footage of Pavel Nedved scoring during their last successful World Cup qualifying campaign, for the 2006 tournament. Pavel, who looks like the actor Stephen Graham's long-haired brother these days, is the GM for the Czech FA now and they're chatting to him on air. Us Irish aren't the only ones misty eyed for the old days!
7:07pm A disappointing start to the night in Tallaght, as Ireland 21s draw 1-1 with Moldova, more or less ending qualification hopes.
Into injury time in Tallaght. Still 1-1.
Once Home and Away over, we'll crank it up here. Brendan and John Fallon are in the stadium. Andrew Horgan is lurking outside looking for a gap in the wire. So we'll keep you up to date with their musings on the biggest Irish football night for an age.
Few videos from the lads down below if you scroll.
You could while away the final minutes to kickoff by watching the 21s play Moldova in Tallaght. Live on Virgin now. Lads toiling a bit at 1-1, a tidy free-kick by Jamie Mullins levelling there.
Or read all the stuff that's been dropping from Prague from our lads.
Here's Brendan O'Brien's latest, getting a bit misty-eyed among the Ole Oles.
You can catch all the World Cup playoff reads in one place here.
Jack Taylor has shaded Alan Browne for the midfield slot alongside Jayson Molumby for Ireland’s World Cup qualification playoff in Czechia (7.45pm).
With Josh Cullen out injured, his spot has gone to Ipswich Town’s Taylor – as it did for the 2-0 win over Portugal in November.
Elsewhere in the selection dilemmas, Chiedozie Ogbene has overcome his lack of first-team action at Sheffield United to be partner Finn Azaz behind sole striker Troy Parrott.
Ryan Manning has staved off competition from the returning Robbie Brady to start at left-back.
For Czechia, the big shock is Tomás Soucek being dropped from the team. The West Ham United midfielder was recently stripped of the captaincy.
Patrik Schick will be joined in attack by Tomáš Chorý, Slavia Prague’s tall striker playing in his home stadium of the Fortuna Arena.
M Kovar (PSV) T Holes (Slavia), L Krejci (Wolves) - cap, Hranac (Hoffenheim) V Coufal (Hoffenheim), V Darida (Hradec Králové), L Provod (Slavia), P Sulc (Lyon), D Jurasek (Slavia) T Chory (Slavia), P Schick (Bayer Leverkusen)
C Kelleher (Brentford);
J O’Brien (Everton), N Collins (Brentford), D O’Shea (Ipswich Town);
S Coleman (Everton), J Taylor (Ipswich Town), J Molumby (West Bromwich Albion), R Manning (Southampton);
C Ogbene (Sheffield United), F Azaz (Southampton);
T Parrott (AZ Alkmaar).
It all boils down to this — the biggest moment of the Heimir Hallgrímsson reign to date.
This is the first of two hurdles Ireland needs to clear before World Cup qualification, and they will have to do it in a hostile atmosphere in Prague on Thursday (7.45pm).
It’s coming up on seven months since Irish fans felt hopeless about qualification after a damaging — and frankly depressing — defeat to Armenia in the group stage.
A couple of spirit-lifting wins against Portugal and Hungary later — the latter requiring last-gasp heroics from Troy Parrott to secure a playoff spot — things are looking much more hopeful. But it will all be decided against a Czech side with a point to prove.
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Ireland enter the tie in good spirits, carrying the elation of that Hungary result into the clash in Prague.
However, the Czechs — despite smashing Gibraltar 6-0 in their most recent qualifier — will still harbour some apprehension, with the loss to the Faroe Islands still lingering and a manager who has yet to take charge of a competitive game for the country.
In the meantime, John Fallon, Brendan O'Brien and Andrew Horgan have been sampling the atmosphere around the town.
Brendan's been out and about getting insight from some of the Irish fans ahead of the game.
The game will be played at the Fortuna Arena in Prague.
Kick-off is at 7.45pm on Thursday night. Coverage begins on RTÉ 2 from 7pm, or you can follow the action on the Examiner Sport live blog.
Luckily for Hallgrímsson, Ireland have a fully fit squad for the trip to Prague.
The Czechs did their best to rough up Troy Parrott during AZ Alkmaar’s trip to Sparta Praha last week, but the former Tottenham striker came through unscathed and will be fit to face Miroslav Koubek’s side in the Czech capital.
Glenn Nyberg (Swe) will be the man in the middle for the crunch clash — the same referee who sent off Cristiano Ronaldo at the Aviva Stadium in November, when the Boys in Green won 2-0.
Ireland 1 Czechia 1 (Friendly).
Czechia 1 Ireland 0 (Euro Qualifier).
Ireland 1 Czechia 1 (Euro Qualifier).
Ireland 2 Czechia 1 (Friendly).
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