Thirty years after the Czech Republic produced one of the most remarkable stories in European Championship history, the national team returns to Wembley Stadium for their Nations League encounter against England.
Their journey to the final of Euro ’96 came just four years after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, and few, including the players themselves, expected them to make a significant impact. Many squad members were still playing in the domestic league, with some even booking holidays to begin immediately after the group stage.
Vladimir Smicer was scheduled to marry during the tournament, while midfielder Patrik Berger recalled how Germany defender Jurgen Kohler, his Borussia Dortmund teammate, was unaware the Czechs were even participating. “He was asking me what my plans were for the summer. I said ‘I’m going to the Euros’ and he said ‘to watch games?'” Berger told the BBC Sporting Witness podcast. When Berger revealed they were playing Germany in the first game and would reach the final, Kohler laughed.
The Czechs began with a 2-0 defeat to Germany at Old Trafford but recovered to beat Italy 2-1 at Anfield. A late equalizer from Smicer in a 3-3 draw with Russia was enough to send them through, largely because Italy failed to defeat Germany in the corresponding match.
Their path to the final featured one of the tournament’s most iconic moments when Karel Poborsky chipped the ball over Portugal goalkeeper Vitor Baia in the quarter-finals. After drawing goalless with France in the semifinals, the Czechs won 6-5 on penalties, with Pavel Nedved, Berger, and Poborsky converting their spot-kicks.
“You don’t want to go there,” Berger admitted regarding penalty shootouts. “If someone says something different they’re lying. Nobody wants to take that penalty.”
In the final, Berger scored the opening penalty after 59 minutes, though he revealed he only took it because he saw no one else wanted to. Oliver Bierhoff equalized 14 minutes later before scoring the first-ever golden goal in a major final to seal a 2-1 victory for Germany.
Despite the silver medal, the run opened doors for an entire generation. Berger moved to Liverpool, while Poborsky joined Manchester United shortly after. Berger described the achievement as “kind of like a miracle” and noted that even silver felt like gold for the nation.
Since 1996, the Czech Republic has reached the semifinals in 2004 and the quarters in 2012 and 2021. Football journalist Ondrej Zlamal praised the 2004 side, which included Petr Cech and Milan Baros, as potentially even better than the 1996 team, though they fell to eventual winners Greece.
However, Zlamal noted that recent World Cup campaigns in 2006 and 2026 have ended in group-stage exits, criticizing the current lack of talent in top European clubs. The new era under Santi Denia, the Czech Republic’s first foreign manager, features a youthful squad with seven uncapped or one-cap players aged 22 or under.
As the team prepares to face England at the modernized Wembley Stadium, the memory of the 1996 heartbreak remains a defining moment in the country’s football history.
England vs Czech Republic at Wembley again. History repeating itself in the most interesting way possible.
Golden goal rule trauma for generations! Glad they abolished that heartbreak instantly after 96.
We need more players in top leagues like Cech era. Denia is a nice change, but we need quality too.
Does anyone else remember Kohler laughing at Berger? Absolute comedy. The underdog story was real back then.
That Poborsky feint was pure magic. Hard to believe it has been thirty years since then!