Czechs held by determined NI

The Czech Republic were held to a goalless draw against Northern Ireland as both played for pride in Group 3.

Both sides out after gritty draw in Prague

The Czech Republic were held to a goalless draw against Northern Ireland as both sides played for pride in Group 3. Both teams knew their 2010 World Cup qualification chances were slim, with Slovenia requiring only a point to seal second place. It was a gritty game at the Eden Stadium, with the home side perhaps creating the best of a small number of chances. Marek Jankulovski came close on a few occasions but could not quite find his way through a packed Irish defence. Niall McGinn played superbly well for the visitors in his first start for Northern Ireland, who will be pleased with their performance against one of the top-seeded sides.

Pride

Nigel Worthington's side are taking small steps forward and rediscovered some pride after the shattering defeat by Slovakia last time around. They were quick out of the blocks on a bitterly cold night and Damien Johnson was floored by Marek Jankulovski in the third minute. Grant McCann delivered an inswinging free-kick and skipper Aaron Hughes, winning his 70th cap, peeled away from his marker only to head wide of the post. McGinn then showed a good turn of pace down the left in the 15th minute but his cross was cleared to safety. Even though the province have a dreadful record on the road, they were knocking the ball about well and using McGinn and Johnson on the flanks whenever possible. The Czechs were struggling to get going but broke out of their slumber in the 34th minute. Tomas Necid got on the end of a deep cross from David Jarolim but Stephen Craigan made a good block. Play switched down the other end and Steven Davis squandered a good opportunity in the 39th minute. Johnson supplied the cross but Davis' touch inside the six-yard area let him down and the ball trickled past the post. This was a good spell by Northern Ireland and McGinn nearly made the breakthrough in the 41st minute. He latched on to a good through-ball from Davis and clipped in a half-volley. Petr Cech was slow to react but managed to turn the ball around the post at the last minute. The Czechs responded two minutes later and Johnson showed his defensive side by clearing Tomas Sivok's header off the line following a corner from Tomas Rosicky. McGinn then skipped past two defenders in the 49th minute. He tried to place his effort beyond Cech into the corner but put too much pace on the ball and saw it go wide. The Czechs hit back four minutes later and goalkeeper Maik Taylor had to look alert to turn over a corner from Jaroslav Plasil. Northern Ireland were enjoying plenty of possession, however, and Chris Baird released McCann in the 62nd minute. He tried his luck from distance but failed to trouble Cech, his effort finishing wide of the target. Then McGinn set up David Healy in a good position. He strode forward only to send a weak shot into the arms of the goalkeeper. Warren Feeney was drafted into the action after 68 minutes in the hope of getting the victory. He replaced Healy, who finished the campaign with just one goal to his credit. Healy was disconsolate as he trudged off as Feeney took centre stage after just 45 minutes for Cardiff reserves this season following a hip injury. The Czechs were anxious to finish on a winning note and almost went ahead in the 85th minute. Jankulovski cracked in a shot from the edge of the area but Maik Taylor was equal to it and parried the ball to safety.

Czech Republic	Team Statistics	Northern Ireland
0	Goals	0
0	1st Half Goals	0
2	Shots on Target	3
3	Shots off Target	3
7	Blocked Shots	0
10	Corners	1
17	Fouls	16
2	Offsides	3
1	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0
77.5	Passing Success	75.8
14	Tackles	20
71.4	Tackles Success	70
54.3	Possession	45.7
57.1	Territorial Advantage	42.9