Czech Republic goalkeeper Petr Čech is ready to put the disappointment of UEFA Champions League final defeat behind him as his team settle in Switzerland for UEFA EURO 2008™.
'Have to move on'
Čech's Chelsea FC side were a penalty kick away from claiming European club football's greatest prize against Manchester United FC on 21 May yet ultimately succumbed to a 6-5 shoot-out loss and, while the memories linger, the 26-year-old is focused on the next challenge. "In football, everything goes so quickly and you have to move on," he told uefa.com. "It was disappointing in Moscow because we were so close to winning the Champions League. For me it's a big advantage that there is another tournament waiting because I can now concentrate on EURO. It helps me to cope with the disappointment."
'Feel the tension'
Having appeared at UEFA EURO 2004™ and the FIFA World Cup two years later, the 59-times capped Čech is an old hand, but he still feels a frisson of anticipation as his prepare for their opening Group A game against co-hosts Switzerland in Basel on Saturday. "I have more experience now so I know what's coming but still you can feel the tension and you know how big an event this is," he said. "I love to play in these tournaments because the whole world is watching and there's pressure, adrenaline and an amazing number of supporters. This is the top level and I always really look forward to these events."
Home hopes
The Czechs then face Portugal and Turkey in Group A, and their goalkeeper expects a stiff test at the hands of all three. "It's a tough group," he said. "It will be important how Switzerland cope with the pressure of being the hosts. I remember playing in the 1999 UEFA European Under-16 Championship, which is not really comparable, but we were the hosts and there was extra pressure because people expect you to play well in your own country. It gave us an extra motivation and we played better because of that, so we'll see how they can cope.
Quality and danger
"Turkey have a lot of quality players, although you never know which side is going to turn up," Čech went on. "If they have a good day they can be one of the best teams in the world; if they don't have the appetite then it can be different, but they're a quality and dangerous side. Portugal are favourites in the group for me; they have a great team and a great coach but also have the experience. Cristiano Ronaldo is on fire, and then they have other great players like Deco and Ricardo Carvalho – they're always a great team."
Last-eight aim
Having featured ten times as the Czechs won qualifying Group D ahead of Germany, and helped his side reach the semi-finals in Portugal four years ago, Čech might be expected to be aiming high again, but instead he is reluctant to look too far ahead. "We know there'll be a lot of pressure on everyone because you always want to do well – to take part in the tournament is already a great achievement but you always want to be successful," he said. "We can be positive; we had a good qualifying campaign and we've done reasonably well in our friendly games. We have a good squad and we can reach the quarter-finals, which is our target. We'll see what happens after that. "
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