Ladislav Krejci hopes to repeat history with Czechia against England on Tuesday evening.
The 27-year-old Wolves defender is now the captain of the team under Santi Denia, but it was not that long ago that he was watching as a passionate supporter of his country and witnessing a huge event.
Recalling the 2019 upset over England
A victory over the Three Lions in the EURO qualifier marked the end of a 43-game unbeaten streak for the visitors in tournament qualifiers. A similar outcome in this game, which is also set to take place at the Fortuna Arena, would be a massive feat — even if a group that also contains World Cup champions Spain and Croatia (to whom they lost 2-1 last week) will be tough to advance from.
“I remember I watched [the 2-1 win against England in 2019] on TV.
“I didn't play back then but it was really a great victory for the whole nation because defeating one of the best European and world teams in football is great. It's the kind of thing that shows us that even a little nation like us can do a feat like this, so that's why we go into this game with this motivation.
Special motivation against the strongest teams
"It's the greatest thing when you represent your country. When you play against these kinds of players and teams, and when you manage to defeat them. It would mean a lot if we could replicate that.
“I’m feeling good. I’m back in the team. I’m back in training and I feel ready. The decision is up to the coach but I feel good. I have special motivation for every match, especially these strong teams.
“When you play against teams like this, it’s not something you experience every week. This is a great opportunity to show we can play against teams like this so I’m very motivated.”
