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A limited crowd of 12,517 attended the match at La Cartuja, where Spain will also play Poland on Saturday and Slovakia on June 23. A quarter-final match will also be played at there.
Sweden, who haven’t advanced past the group stage at the European Championships since 2004, next face Slovakia on Friday in St Petersburg.
Patrik Schick celebrates scoring for the Czech Republic against Scotland.Credit:Getty Images
No happy returns as Schick stuns Scots
Czech Schick, who had also netted an excellent header in the first half, doubled his tally at Hampden Park after the break with a curling, looping effort from just inside the Scotland half, having spotted Scotland keeper David Marshall far off his line.
The Bayer Leverkusen forward’s astonishing effort was the furthest distance from which a goal has been scored at any European Championships.
“We know he is a genius and he knows how to finish,” Czech coach Jaroslav Silhavy said. “The second goal was something out of this world.”
Schick described his effort as “a cherry (on the cake),” and added mischievously that he had clocked Marshall frequently advancing up the pitch earlier in the match.
Euro 2020 matchday 1 results
- Turkey 0 Italy 3
- Wales 1 Switzerland 1
- Denmark 0 Finland 1
- Belgium 3 Russia 0
- England 1 Croatia 0
- Austria 3 North Macedonia 1
- Netherlands 3 Ukraine 2
- Scotland 0 Czech Republic 2
- Poland 1 Slovakia 2
- Spain 0 Sweden 0
Wednesday fixtures (AEST)
- Hungary v Portugal, 2am
- France v Germany, 5am
Scotland had battled gamely on their return to tournament football after a 23-year absence and spurned a number of excellent chances of their own, with Lyndon Dykes guilty of wasting two superb opportunities.
Yet the Czechs were worthy winners, soaking up Scottish pressure in the first half, and hushing a noisy Hampden Park crowd, who were seeing their side play in a major tournament for the first time since the 1998 World Cup.
The result left the Czechs on three points, level at the top of Group D with England, who beat Croatia 1-0 on Sunday, while Scotland will already be feeling nervous about their prospects ahead of their next game against England on Friday, when the Czechs face Croatia.
Poland’s Grzegorz Krychowiak gets his marching orders in St Petersburg.Credit:Getty Images
Slovakia too good for Poland
A second-half goal from Milan Skriniar earned Slovakia a 2-1 win over 10-man Poland in their opening Group E match in St Petersburg.
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Skriniar beat Wojciech Szczesny with a low drive in the 69th minute, capitalising on the sending-off of Polish midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak following a second booking for a challenge on Jakub Hromada.
Poland’s woes began in the 18th minute when a strike by Robert Mak bounced off Szczesny’s near post and slipped into the net after hitting the goalkeeper. The Poles equalised seconds after half-time through Karol Linetty, a surprise starter in Paulo Sousa’s team.
AP/Reuters
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