Czech Captain Sends Clear Message: "Anyone Who Doesn't Believe in Us Has No Place in Our Team"

"It's going to be tough, but as long as we're 'alive,' we'll fight. I believe it's still in our hands," striker Adam Hložek was quoted by idnes.cz.

After their loss to South Korea, the Czechs were determined to learn from squandering a 1-0 lead. In their first match, they ultimately lost 2-1. This time, they led 1-0 from the 6th minute thanks to Michal Sadílek's goal, but again failed to secure a win. Teboho Mokoena's penalty in the 83rd minute decided the shared points.

"We had a decent start, one of our best recently. We were brave, confident, and weren't afraid to play. We moved into the right spaces, pressed well. Towards the end of the first half and in the second, we held the ball less, dropped deep, and lacked energy. We all need to sit down and frankly discuss what the problem is and adjust things so it doesn't happen again," said captain Ladislav Krejčí.

The match between the Czech Republic and South Africa pitted two teams that had both lost their opening games. The shared points didn't significantly help the African team either, who have a worse goal difference than the Czechs and sit in last place in Group A. According to coach Hugo Broos, the South African players played more attractive football than the Czechs.

"If you love football, you'll prefer our performance to the Czechs'. It was tough for us to deal with their long balls, but I understand that was their tactic. It's a coach's decision; perhaps I would do the same if I were the Czech coach," Broos remarked.

Both teams will conclude their group stage campaigns on Thursday, June 25th, at 3:00 AM CET. The Czechs will face Mexico, while South Africa will play South Korea. The Asian team will secure second place, guaranteeing direct progression to the knockout stage, with a draw. Both the Czechs and South Africa must win to advance. Even two points might not be enough for them to progress via the best third-placed teams table.

The Czechs face an extremely challenging task: defeating host nation Mexico, who will be cheered on by nearly 80,000 fans at the Azteca Stadium. "Anyone who doesn't believe in us has no place in our team. In the first fifteen minutes (against South Africa), we showed we can play at this level. Our only chance to advance is to beat Mexico, so we must approach it that way. We have to work with things as they are," Krejčí stated.