The stopper of the Czech national team, David Zima, after a long sprint, ran right onto Tomáš Souček’s cross and equalized with a header at 1:1 in Norway. In addition to the fact that it was a first-time goal, the Sigma Olomouc graduate and now a Slavia player could also write in his resume that he managed to save the Premier League’s top scorer Erling Haaland, thus helping the Czechs to a 2:1 win.
National team: Czech Republic – Faroe Islands 5:0, David Zima
| Photo: Deník/Jan Pořízek
How were the fights with Haaland?
Different than I expected. When you watch him score a lot of goals on TV, you have a lot of respect for him. But if he doesn’t have the service of top players, he is an ordinary player. Or like this, a top player who can be defended with the help of teammates and teamwork. Of course in one-on-one fights it’s difficult because he has everything, he’s top world class.
Did those fights hurt?
I would say no. He is a fair player, a great match and a lot of experience.
The winning premiere of the Czechs under Hašek. An embarrassing performance was overshadowed by Barák’s goal
Once you were rolled up there and Staněk was saving the team after a header.
I did my best, that’s the top class. He went there great. Kilo, weight, jump, dynamics. This is difficult to defend. If it were the other way around, then the opposing player has an advantage because he is opposing and has strength in the first steps forward. He held Jindra and that’s the teamwork I was talking about. You can’t rely on one-on-one fights.
Did you manage to say anything?
No, I’m not the communicative type. I don’t talk to players I don’t know during the match.
You yourself scored the first goal in the national team, how did you feel and how much will it cost?
Feelings are normal, it’s important for me that we won. And I don’t know how expensive it will be. Normally, nothing much (laughs), it’s a friendly match, but I’m ready for anything. I’m glad I scored, but I don’t care who scores the goals. Team success is most important.
Was the goal a reward for the eighty-meter sprint?
I always go there like this. But I hope so. I didn’t want to let it go. When I saw that Suk (Tomáš Souček) won an important battle for the rebound, I believed that it would come there. It came straight to my head, I knew it was a 100% chance and I had to change.
How do you rate the premiere under the new coach?
Victory is always evaluated positively. We had a weaker start and gradually got into it. Considering the names we were up against, we showed the character that has adorned us in recent years and turned it around with teamwork.
What was your plan going into the match?
We wanted to enter it actively without any pressure. Enjoy the match because it was nothing de facto, it was a warm-up match. Norway pushed us into a deep block after five minutes and we couldn’t get out of it. They pressed us well and had quality on the ball. We had too much respect. Then came a ten-minute passage that culminated in a goal and we were then a balanced opponent. It was 50-50 by the end of the half. The opponent was better in the opening twenty-five minutes of the second half. We told ourselves that we had to keep the ball and we waited for the chances that came at the end. There were hints first and then the standard that Tony (Antonín Barák) hit. Then they didn’t have the strength to do anything about it.
Did you feel that the substitutes helped you?
It also helped us when Haaland went down. It made it a little easier. The second thing was the substitute players, when we kept the ball in front and we had a better finish.
Is the win a boost for the team?
I wouldn’t talk about impulse at all. Every match for a midfielder is an impulse. You’re lucky, you’re the chosen one, you can represent your country and everyone always has to give their best, regardless of whether it’s a friendlies, a champion, or a coach change. We’re glad we made it.
Protest at Sigma. Pigs in charge, give up command, the posters read
How did you feel in the four-man defense?
I’m used to Slavia, so great. I was used to it before I went to Italy and I play well there.
The team didn’t quite have the passing game, what was the problem?
I would say that in the field and overall in the quality of the terrain. You could see that the passing did not go well for the Norwegians either. It’s hard to put a field together when there was a blizzard and two meters of snow here two months ago. There were technical mistakes that we have to avoid, but he is a friendly guy and we have to try different styles of play that we can use in the future.
