The revitalised Czech Republic surprised even their own fans by reaching the Euro 2012 quarterfinals as Group A winners on Saturday as the hopes and dreams of co-hosts Poland came crashing down to earth with a thunderous thud.
Petr Jiracek’s neat 72nd-minute strike sealed a 1-0 win and sent Poland out to the delight of a small corner of the rain-soaked Wroclaw stadium, where the majority of red and white clad fans could only rue a host of missed chances in the first half.
Poland, so full of joy and youthful exuberance during this tournament both on and off the pitch, can also look back on wasted opportunities in the opening draw with Greece and coach Franciszek Smuda said he was stepping down.
“My adventure with the national team is over,” Smuda said afterwards. “It is a bitter pill to swallow. We were too sure about the possibility of winning. We had some opportunities in the first half, we didn’t take advantage of them and we lost the game.”
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