If
he were a tennis player or a marathon runner, Václav Pilař would have
had reason to feel like a winner after the Czech Republic's opening game
at UEFA EURO 2012. But he has chosen football, and it is a team sport.
Though
he was on the losing side, Pilař's efforts ensured he topped the
Castrol Edge Index ahead of Alan Dzagoev, Konstantin Zyryanov and Roman
Shirokov, all part of the victorious Russia XI. He completed all 11 of
his passes in key areas of the final third and not one of his four shots
missed the target.
Pilař also
received high marks from supporters who rated the players' performances
online. Despite that, when I talked to the technically-accomplished
midfielder in the mixed zone of the Municipal Stadium Wroclaw, there was
no smile on his face.
"It is nice
to score a goal at such a great tournament, but I enjoyed the feeling
only as long as we had the chance to equalise," said the 23-year-old,
whose goal reduced his team's deficit to one before Russia scored twice
late on to cap a 4-1 win. "After we conceded those two goals, my goal
became useless."
Czech team manager
Vladimír Šmicer said: "I went through a very similar experience at UEFA
EURO 2000. I scored twice against Denmark in our third game, we won
2-0, but the goals were good for nothing as we were already eliminated. I
know how Václav must feel, but I'm convinced it wasn't his last goal
at this tournament and the next one will bring him more satisfaction."
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