Luftner stunner seals Italy Czechmate
Czech Republic kept alive its hopes of qualifying for the UEFA European U-21 Championship with a 3-1 win over Italy.
Michael Luftner's memorable long-range strike was the highlight of Czech Republic's 3-1 upset win over Italy at the UEFA European U-21 Championship.
The result puts Vitezslav Lavicka's team level with the Azzuri on three points.
"It was a hard-working display from our players, and from both sides," the ex-Sydney FC coach said. "Both teams wanted to win. It was tough to watch early in the second half but if I compare our first game against Germany to tonight's display, we were much more clinical.
"Our goalkeeper had an part to play – he made some good saves and kept us believing.
"We’d hoped to keep our hopes alive and be successful in this game and we did that. Now we must recover as quickly as possible and focus on the Denmark game."
