It might be pretty obvious to start this column with the most famous Czech performance in recent years, but there you go. The game between Netherlands and Czech Republic at the EURO 2004 group stages (!) maybe wasn't one of a great importance - both teams, having won their first encounters against Germany and Latvia, respectively, could still easily qualify in the later stages of the competition. But the game still has to go down as the most magical one for the Czechs since 1994, when the former federal Czechoslovakian team split.
The reason why I am bringing up the game now is primarily because it was named the greatest moment in the Czech sport in the last ten years by Lidové noviny just a week ago. Nevermind the competition of this year's three Olympic gold medals of Martina Sáblíková, ice-hockey world cup winners, the game was top, and most deservedly so. It's still thrilling to read about the match in which not only the "golden generation"* of players like Nedvěd, the then holder of the 2003 Ballon d'Or, Poborský, Šmicer, Koller and so many more, performed so well, but also showed such determination and skill to turn the game around from 2-0 down to 3-2 up AND produced such stunning goals. (*The term "golden generation" hasn't been established yet but it's likely to be introduced as the Czech national team is really not doing so well recently and the prospects for another few years aren't really looking up either).
Vladimír Šmicer celebrating his winning goal
Honestly, it's hard to add much more to what Michael Cox of the ever-brilliant Zonal Marking has already written about his own favourite team of the last decade and the game itself. This really was a team you could be proud of to support. There was passion, will, pace, technical quality, and the tactical mastermind of Karel Brückner in his brighter days. A year with a great Czech side, and the Invincibles on top of that (normally I would go the other way round, but whatever), what more you could ask for?
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