Wikipedia

Czechoslovakia national football team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Czechoslovakia women's national football team.

The Czechoslovakia national football team (Czech: Československá fotbalová reprezentace, Slovak: Česko-slovenské národné futbalové mužstvo) represented Czechoslovakia in men's international football from 1919 to 1993. The team was controlled by the Czechoslovak Football Association, and the team qualified for eight World Cups and three European Championships. It had two runner-up finishes in World Cups, in 1934 and 1962, and won the European Championship in the 1976 tournament.

Czechoslovakia
1919–1993
Shirt badge/Association crest
AssociationCzechoslovak Football Association
Most capsZdeněk Nehoda (91)
Top scorerAntonín Puč (34)
Home stadiumStadion Evžena Rošického (1926–1993)
FIFA codeTCH
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
First international
 Hungary 2–1 Bohemia 
(Budapest, Hungary; 5 April 1903)[a]
Post-independence
 Czechoslovakia 4–1 Belgium 
(Paris, France; 24 June 1919)
Last international
 Belgium 0–0 Representation of Czechs and Slovaks 
(Brussels, Belgium; 17 November 1993)
Biggest win
 Czechoslovakia 7–0 Kingdom of SCS 
(Antwerp, Belgium; 28 August 1920)
 Czechoslovakia 7–0 Kingdom of SCS 
(Prague, Czechoslovakia; 28 October 1925)
Biggest defeat
 Hungary 8–3 Czechoslovakia 
(Budapest, Hungary; 19 September 1937)
 Scotland 5–0 Czechoslovakia 
(Glasgow, Scotland; 8 December 1937)
 Hungary 5–0 Czechoslovakia 
(Hungary; 30 April 1950)
 Hungary 5–0 Czechoslovakia 
(Hungary; 19 October 1952)
 Austria 5–0 Czechoslovakia 
(Zürich, Switzerland; 19 June 1954)
World Cup
Appearances8 (first in 1934)
Best resultRunners-up (1934, 1962)
European Championship
Appearances3 (first in 1960)
Best resultChampions (1976)
Medal record
FIFA World Cup
Silver medal – second place 1934 Italy Team
Silver medal – second place 1962 Chile Team
UEFA European Championship
Gold medal – first place 1976 Yugoslavia Team
Bronze medal – third place 1960 France Team
Bronze medal – third place 1980 Italy Team
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1980 Moscow Team
Silver medal – second place 1964 Tokyo Team

At the time of the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed the remainder of this campaign under the name Representation of Czechs and Slovaks (RCS, Czech: Reprezentace Čechů a Slováků, Slovak: Reprezentácia Čechov a Slovákov) before it was disbanded. Both the Czech and Slovak national teams are considered to be the joint successors of the Czechoslovak record.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

History

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Bohemia

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While part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Bohemia played its first international on 5 April 1903, a 2–1 loss for Hungary in Budapest. On 7 October, Hungary came to Prague for a 4–4 draw. The two countries played three more matches up to 1908, including Bohemia's only victory on 6 October 1907. Bohemia played its last match on 13 June 1908, losing 4–0 at home to England.[8]

After being expelled from FIFA due to objections from the Austrian Football Association, the ČSF founded the UIAFA along with French USFSA and English Amateur Football Association in March 1909. Bohemia won the UIAFA Great European football tournament in 1911, defeating the AFA England team 2–1 in the final.[9][10][11][12]

Inter-war

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After World War I, an independent Czechoslovakia made its first appearance in 1919 in the Inter-Allied Games in Paris, a large sports competition organized in celebration of the Allied victory in the War.[13] However, the matches of the tournament are not included in the official FIFA register.[14] Czechoslovakia topped their group with three wins over Belgium, United States, and Canada, thus reaching the final, where they defeated the hosts France with a dramatic 3–2 win, thanks to two late goals from Antonín Janda.[13]

In the following year, Czechoslovakia participated in the 1920 Olympic event in Antwerp, opening with a 7–0 win over Yugoslavia on 28 August. This squad, which had thirteen players from the Inter-Allied roster, then beat Norway 4–0 the next day in the quarter-finals and France 4–1 in the semi-finals on the 31st. However, in the final against Belgium on 2 September, the Czechoslovaks left the field 2–0 down after 40 minutes in protest with the English referee John Lewis, and were ejected from the tournament.[15] Czechoslovakia returned for the 1924 Olympics in Paris and defeated Turkey 5–2 in the first round, but was eliminated in the second 1–0 against Switzerland in a replay after a 1–1 draw.[8]

The nation entered the World Cup for the first time in 1934, and won its qualifier against Poland after its neighbor withdrew following a 2–1 Czechoslovak win in the first leg. At the finals in Italy, Czechoslovakia advanced past Romania, Switzerland, and Germany to reach the final, where it lost 2–1 to the host country after extra time. Oldřich Nejedlý won the Golden Shoe with five goals in the tournament.[16]

Czechoslovakia qualified for the 1938 FIFA World Cup in France with a 7–1 aggregate victory over Bulgaria, and reached the quarter-finals with a 3–0 win over the Netherlands in Le Havre. In the quarter-final against Brazil, known as the Battle of Bordeaux for its rough play, Czechoslovakia lost the replay 2–1.[17]

In 1939, under the German occupation name of "Bohemia", the team played three matches, defeating Yugoslavia 7–3 and drawing with both Ostmark (occupied Austria) and Germany itself.[8]

Post-World War II

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Josef Masopust won the Ballon d'Or for his performance in the Czechoslovakia side which reached the 1962 FIFA World Cup Final

After an absence from the 1950 qualification campaign, Czechoslovakia qualified for 1954 by topping its qualifying group unbeaten against Bulgaria and Romania with three wins and a draw. However, in the finals in Switzerland, it was eliminated from a strong group after defeats to Uruguay and Austria.[8]

It also topped its qualifying group for the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden, ahead of Wales and East Germany. They opened their finals campaign on 8 June with a 1–0 defeat to Northern Ireland in Halmstad, followed by a 2–2 draw with reigning champions West Germany and a 6–1 win over Argentina. On 17 June, Czechoslovakia lost a play-off to advance into the knockout stages 2–1 to Northern Ireland in Malmö.[8]

Modern age

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On 5 April 1959, Czechoslovakia played the first ever qualifying match in a UEFA European Championship, losing 2–0 away to the Republic of Ireland but eventually advancing 4–2 on aggregate. Subsequent victories over Denmark (7–3 aggregate) and Romania (5–0 aggregate) put the country into the four-team finals in France. It lost 3–0 to the Soviet Union in the semi-final but gained third place with a 2–0 win over the hosts at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille.[18]

Czechoslovakia qualified for the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile by defeating Scotland 4–2 after extra time in a play-off in Brussels, Belgium, after finishing level in their qualifying group. In the group at the finals, Czechoslovakia opened with a 1–0 win over Spain from a Jozef Štibrányi goal, and then drew 0–0 with holders Brazil. In the last group game on 7 June, Václav Mašek put Czechoslovakia ahead against Mexico in 12 seconds; the team lost 3–1 but advanced nonetheless.[19]

After goalkeeper Viliam Schrojf's performance, a goal from Adolf Scherer in Rancagua was enough to beat Hungary in the quarter-final, and two more late goals by him against Yugoslavia put Czechoslovakia into their second World Cup final. In the final at the Estadio Nacional de Chile in Santiago, Josef Masopust put Czechoslovakia ahead after 15 minutes by finishing Scherer's pass, but Brazil soon equalised and exploited Schrojf's errors to win 3–1. Masopust's inspiration was awarded with the 1962 Ballon d'Or.[20]

 
Czechoslovakia v Santos FC friendly match in Chile, 1965

Czechoslovakia did not go to the 1966 FIFA World Cup, with Portugal topping their qualifying group, nor did they qualify for the European Championships of 1964 and 1968. On 3 December 1969, they defeated Hungary 4–1 in Marseille in a play-off to reach the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, having finished joint top of their qualifying group. Czechoslovakia lost all three of their matches in the 1970 World Cup, in a group featuring holders England and eventual winners Brazil.[8]

After missing out on the 1972 European Championship and the 1974 World Cup, Czechoslovakia reached the 1976 European Championship in Yugoslavia, topping a group featuring England, Portugal and Cyprus and then defeating the Soviet Union 4–2 in a play-off. In the semi-final in Zagreb, they advanced after beating the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time. In the final on 20 June at Crvena Zvezda Stadium in Belgrade, Czechoslovakia led 2–0 before the game went to penalties at a 2–2 draw. Antonin Panenka scored the winning penalty with a chip,[21] subsequently referred to by his name when executed by other players.[22] In that squad, 16 of 22 players in the squad were Slovak and in both matches in the final tournament, 9 of 13 players were Slovak.[23]

 
Czechoslovakia playing C.A. Belgrano during their tour on Argentina in 1979

Czechoslovakia did not qualify for the 1978 FIFA World Cup, as Scotland won their group.[24] The country did qualify for Euro 1980, and by coming second in its group behind West Germany faced the hosts Italy in a third-place play-off, which it won on sudden-death penalties at the Stadio San Paolo in Naples.[25] At the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain, Czechoslovakia was eliminated in the group stage after draws with Kuwait and France and losing 2–0 to England. The country's last major tournament was the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, where in the group it opened with a 5–1 win over the United States before defeating Austria with a Michal Bilek penalty, enough to advance despite losing 2–0 to the hosts at the Stadio Olimpico. In the last 16 at the Stadio San Nicola in Bari, a hat-trick from Tomáš Skuhravý featured in a 4–1 in over Costa Rica. Czechoslovakia was eliminated on 1 July in a quarter-final at the San Siro, losing 1–0 from a Lothar Matthäus penalty against eventual winners West Germany. Later that month, manager Jozef Venglos who had led Czechoslovakia in the tournament was appointed as the first foreign manager in English football, at Aston Villa.[26] Czechoslovakia (RCS) played their last qualifier for the USA 1994 FIFA World Cup in the no longer existing common republic, where they played their last match on 17 November 1993 against Belgium in Brussels. Since the game was for direct advancement from the group stage, after a goalless draw RCS did not advance. The RCS top scorer with six goals was Peter Dubovský, who scored a hat trick in the match against Romania in Všešportový areál on 2 June 1993.

Kit history

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1934–1976
 
 
 
 
 
 
1950–1967 (away)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1980–1989
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1990 Home
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1990 Away
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1992–93 Away

Coaching history

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Results and fixtures (1908–1993)

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Main article: Czechoslovakia national football team results

Competitive record

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FIFA World Cup

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Main articles: Czech Republic at the FIFA World Cup and Slovakia at the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA —
  1930 Did not enter Declined invitation
  1934 Runners-up 2nd 4 3 0 1 9 6 Squad 1 1 0 0 2 1 1934
  1938 Quarter-finals 5th 3 1 1 1 5 3 Squad 2 1 1 0 7 1 1938
  1950 Did not enter Did not enter
  1954 Group stage 14th 2 0 0 2 0 7 Squad 4 3 1 0 5 1 1954
  1958 Group stage 9th 4 1 1 2 9 6 Squad 4 3 0 1 9 3 1958
  1962 Runners-up 2nd 6 3 1 2 7 7 Squad 5 4 0 1 20 7 1962
  1966 Did not qualify 6 3 1 2 12 4 1966
  1970 Group stage 15th 3 0 0 3 2 7 Squad 7 5 1 1 16 7 1970
  1974 Did not qualify 4 2 1 1 9 3 1974
  1978 4 2 0 2 4 6 1978
  1982 Group stage 19th 3 0 2 1 2 4 Squad 8 4 2 2 15 6 1982
  1986 Did not qualify 8 3 2 3 11 12 1986
  1990 Quarter-finals 6th 5 3 0 2 10 5 Squad 8 5 2 1 13 3 1990
  1994 Did not qualify 10 4 5 1 21 9 1994
Total Runners-up 8/15 30 11 5 14 44 45 — 71 40 16 15 144 63 —

UEFA European Championship

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Main article: Czechoslovakia at the UEFA European Championship
UEFA European Championship record Qualifying record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA —
  1960 Third place 3rd 2 1 0 1 2 3 Squad 6 4 1 1 16 5 1960
  1964 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 2 3 1964
  1968 6 3 1 2 8 4 1968
  1972 6 4 1 1 11 4 1972
  1976 Champions 1st 2 1 1 0 5 3 Squad 8 5 2 1 19 7 1976
  1980 Third place 3rd 4 1 2 1 5 4 Squad 6 5 0 1 17 4 1980
  1984 Did not qualify 8 3 4 1 15 7 1984
  1988 6 2 3 1 7 5 1988
  1992 8 5 0 3 12 9 1992
Total 1 Title 3/9 8 3 3 2 12 10 — 56 31 13 12 107 48 —

Olympic Games

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Olympic Games record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
  1908 Withdrew
  1912 Did not enter
  1920 Disqualified 4 3 0 1 15 3 Squad
  1924 Second round 9th 3 1 1 1 6 4 Squad
  1928 Did not enter
  1936
  1948
  1952
  1956
  1960 Did not qualify
  1964 Silver medal 2nd 6 5 0 1 19 5 Squad
  1968 Group stage 9th 3 1 1 1 10 3 Squad
  1972 Did not enter
  1976
  1980 Gold medal 1st 6 4 2 0 10 1 Squad
  1984 Withdrew
  1988 Did not qualify
Total 1 Gold medal 5/17 22 14 4 4 60 16 —

Player records

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Zdeněk Nehoda
Most capped players[27]
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1. Zdeněk Nehoda 90 31 1971–1987
2. Marián Masný 75 18 1974–1982
Ladislav Novák 75 1 1952–1966
4. František Plánička 73 0 1926–1938
5. Karol Dobiaš 67 6 1967–1980
6. Josef Masopust 63 10 1954–1966
Ivo Viktor 63 0 1966–1977
8. Ján Popluhár 62 1 1958–1967
9. Antonín Puč 60 34 1926–1938
10. Antonín Panenka 59 17 1973–1982
 
Antonín Puč
Top goalscorers[27]
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1. Antonín Puč 34 60 0.57 1926–1938
2. Zdeněk Nehoda 31 90 0.34 1971–1987
3. Oldřich Nejedlý 28 43 0.65 1931–1938
Josef Silný 28 50 0.56 1925–1934
5. Adolf Scherer 22 36 0.61 1958–1964
František Svoboda 22 43 0.51 1927–1937
7. Marián Masný 18 75 0.24 1974–1982
8. Antonín Panenka 17 59 0.29 1973–1982
9. Jozef Adamec 14 44 0.32 1960–1971
Tomáš Skuhravý[b] 14 43 0.33 1985–1993

Head to head record (1908–1993)

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Honours

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Major competitions

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Regional

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Other titles

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Summary

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Competition       Total
World Cup 0 2 0 2
European Championship 1 0 2 3
Olympic Games 1 1 0 2
Total 2 3 2 7

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ A meeting on 1 April 1906 is regarded as the first official game for Bohemia by the Football Association of the Czech Republic (FAČR), with the meeting between Hungary and Bohemia on 5 April 1903 subsequently being recognised as a Prague representative team by the FAČR. The Hungarian Football Federation recognises the April 1903 meeting as official for Bohemia.[1]
  2. ^ Tomáš Skuhravý also played for Representation of Czechs and Slovaks during the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification and then the Czech Republic national football team until 1995, for whom he scored three further goals.

References

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  1. ^ "1901-1910 MATCHES". University of Cambridge. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  2. ^ Dunmore, Tom (2011-09-16). Historical Dictionary of Soccer. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7188-5.
  3. ^ Holt, Nick (2014-03-20). Mammoth Book Of The World Cup. Little, Brown Book Group. ISBN 978-1-4721-1051-0.
  4. ^ UEFA.com (2015-11-17). "UEFA EURO 2016: How all the teams qualified | UEFA EURO". UEFA.com. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
  5. ^ UEFA.com (2021-02-22). "UEFA EURO 2020 contenders in focus: Czech Republic | UEFA EURO". UEFA.com. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  6. ^ UEFA.com (2021-03-03). "UEFA EURO 2020 contenders in focus: Slovakia | UEFA EURO". UEFA.com. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  7. ^ UEFA.com (2023-12-28). "Who has qualified for UEFA EURO 2024? | UEFA EURO 2024". UEFA.com. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "Czech Republic national football team". European Football. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  9. ^ "Grand Tournoi Européen (Roubaix) 1911". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  10. ^ "Böhmen - der geheime Europameister" [Bohemia - the secret European champion]. Wiener Zeitung (in German). 9 June 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  11. ^ Matthieu Delahais (9 April 2020). "Quand Roubaix accueillait le premier championnat d'Europe, en 1911" [When Roubaix hosted the first European Championship, in 1911]. Chroniques bleues (in French). Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  12. ^ "La Semaine Sportive" [Sports Week]. Dunkerque Sports (in French). No. 143. 4 June 1911. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  13. ^ a b "1919 Interallied Games". RSSSF. 23 September 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  14. ^ "Soccer at the Inter-Allied Games of 1919: Top Stars". soccerhistoryusa.org. 6 March 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  15. ^ Murray, Scott (20 July 2012). "The Joy of Six: Olympic football tournament stories". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  16. ^ "Delight for the Azzurri as home advantage tells". FIFA. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  17. ^ "World Cup History - On this day: Battle of Bordeaux". Eurosport. 12 June 2010. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  18. ^ Rostance, Tom (21 May 2012). "Euro 1960: Lev Yashin leads Soviets to glory in France". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  19. ^ "The 11 fastest goals in World Cup history". Eurosport. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  20. ^ "Brazil flying high with 'Little Bird' Garrincha". FIFA. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  21. ^ "Panenka reflects on perfect penalty at EURO '76". UEFA. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  22. ^ Pascoe, Thomas (25 June 2012). "Euro 2012: The best and worst 'Panenka' penalties". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  23. ^ office, Kafkadesk Prague (2021-02-06). "Czecho(Slovakia): The best football team never to win the World Cup?". Kafkadesk. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  24. ^ "World Cup 1978 Qualifying". RSSSF. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  25. ^ "UEFA Euro 1980 matches". UEFA. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  26. ^ Kendrick, Mat (7 September 2010). "Feature: How Dr Josef Venglos was a pioneer at Aston Villa". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  27. ^ a b Mamrud, Roberto. "Czechoslovakia/Czech Republic - Record International Players". RSSSF.
  28. ^ "Interallied Games 1919". RSSSF. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
 
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Preceded by European Champions
1976 (First title) 		Succeeded by
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