Add as preferred source on Google
West Ham United captain Tomas Soucek came out swinging after his penalty helped the Czech Republic edge past a spirited Republic of Ireland in the World Cup play-off semi-final on Thursday night.
The hosts roared back from 2-0 down in Prague to progress via a tense penalty shoot-out, Southampton’s Finn Azaz and Middlesbrough’s Alan Browne failing from 12 yards in the Czech capital.
Tomas Soucek would have no such trouble, converting coolly past Caoimhin Kelleher.
What does Tomas Soucek have to do to become a true West Ham LEGEND? 🐐
Or is he a Hammers icon already?
It was an evening of extremely mixed emotions for the long-serving West Ham United midfielder. Soucek was stripped of his captain’s armband by manager Miroslav Koubek.
Not only that, the three-time Czech Footballer of the Year was left out of the starting XI on his first night without the captaincy.
West Ham United’s Tomas Soucek closer to World Cup spot
Seznam Zpravy report that this was the first time in nine years that Soucek had been left out of the XI purely for tactical reasons. His omission, they add, was ‘shocking’.
But, as they say, all managers go back to Soucek eventually.
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
Perhaps spooked by his side’s dreadful start on home soil – the Republic of Ireland stormed into a 2-0 lead in less than 25 minutes – it only took until the interval for Koubek to call upon his most experienced campaigner.
“It wasn’t about me, but about the team,” a typically understated Soucek told CT Sport after helping set up a play-off final meeting with Denmark.
“[Losing the captaincy] was more of a political thing. I came here wanting to help the guys. I play for the Czech Republic. They can take my armband, but they can’t take my heart.”
A phrase so beautifully defiant that you can already imagine it tattooed into the skin of proud Czechs the world over. Do not mistake his rather mild-mannered nature for meekness.
Soucek faces Mads Hermansen’s Denmark in play-off final
As for the ‘politics’ he referred to, Soucek lost the armband after seeming to snub the Fanatismus Cesko fan group following a November meeting with Gibraltar. Sporty Zive said that he, and former West Ham teammate Vladimir Coufal, ‘did not feel unity’ with this particular branch of ultras, and therefore turned their backs on them at full-time.
Understandably, Soucek was keen to focus on the victorious present and a potentially World Cup-themed future rather than dwell on the past.
“I’m glad I helped achieve promotion [to the play-off final]. The fans were great and we’re one game away from rewriting history after 20 years,” adds Soucek, who would lead the Czech Republic into their first World Cup in two decades with or without the armband.
Will Jarrod Bowen make England’s World Cup squad? 🏆
Tell us why in the comments…
Photo by Mateusz Slodkowski/Getty Images
“I don’t want to evaluate [the manager’s decision not to start me]. I went into the second-half with some instructions. We knew how Ireland played. In these matches, experience is needed and it’s not always about the beauty of football to make a mistake and get a goal.
“We could have decided it at the end in regular time. I also had a chance [Soucek blazed over in the dying embers]. That’s my advantage, that I can play defensive midfielder and sometimes get into the penalty area. It didn’t work out this time, we’ll see what happens next time.”
After such a difficult period on the international stage for both Soucek and the Czech Republic, beating Denmark in the final would make all that pain and frustration feel so very worth it.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox