If Turkey and the Czech Republic draw their final Group A match in Geneva on Sunday, second place and a quarter-final berth will be decided on penalties.

Shoot-out chance
The Czech Republic lost 3-1 to Portugal on Wednesday evening and then Turkey beat Switzerland 2-1 – both after added-time goals. That leaves the Czech Republic and Turkey level on points, goal difference and goals scored, and according to Article 7.08 in the official 2008 UEFA European Championship regulations, in that instance, if the two equal teams are playing in the last game, their match is decided by spot-kicks after 90 minutes should it finish level.

Regulations
Article 7.08 reads: “If two teams which have the same number of points, the same number of goals scored and conceded play their last group match against each other and are still equal at the end of that match, the ranking of the two teams in question will be determined by kicks from the penalty mark, provided no other teams within the group have the same number of points on completion of all group matches.” Whoever finishes second in Group A will play the winners of Group B in Vienna on 20 June. Portugal, as Group A winners, face the Group B runners-up in Basel the night before.

Czech Republic goalkeeper Petr Čech has called on his colleagues to show a greater attacking threat when they take on Portugal in Geneva on Wednesday.

‘Not offensive enough’
Both sides won their opening Group A games against Switzerland and Turkey respectively, but the Czech Republic had their goalkeeper to thank in large part for their success after he made a number of fine saves. Defensively Karel Brückner’s side were again impressive, but they now need to add an attacking edge to their game according to Čech. "We all know we can play better," he said. "The game didn’t go the way we expected, we were not offensive enough. We defended well, we organised ourselves well, but we kept losing the ball which put us under pressure. We know our weakness, we need to go forward more in the next game, but most important for us was to get three points."

‘Precious points’
The Czech Republic also won their opening game at UEFA EURO 2004™ against Latvia, a win that set them en route to the semi-finals. "The first game is always very important," Čech said. "We wanted three points, which is an ideal result to start the tournament. Certainly our confidence increases with every point gained. It’s very positive for us to know that we didn’t play well but still won so those points are even more precious for us."

Portugal threat
The Chelsea FC custodian Čech needs no introduction to Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo – who scored past him in the UEFA Champions League final – but he dismissed suggestions that Portugal were dependent on the Manchester United FC forward up front. "As far as their attacking line is concerned, I think their players are well balanced. The biggest danger obviously comes from Ronaldo who can set it all up for the others, but they cannot be ignored. The Portuguese have great individuals in their attack who can counterattack at every opportunity. We mustn’t give balls away as often as we did against Switzerland. On the other hand, we defended well, our defence is compact, and we won’t make it easy for them."

Winning aim
The 26-year-old is widely considered one of the best goalkeepers in the game, a tag he says "greatly motivates" him. The main motivation now, though, is to pick up the victory that could put the Czechs into the last eight. "If you go to the second match with three points behind you, you know if you win again you have virtually qualified for the quarter-finals, which is our aim. We shall see whether a point is acceptable or the win is necessary, but from the kick-off we will try our best to win and secure qualification as soon as possible."

Czech Republic goalkeeper Petr Cech is ready to put the disappointment of UEFA Champions League final defeat behind him as his team settle in Switzerland for UEFA EURO 2008.

‘Have to move on’
Čech’s Chelsea FC side were a penalty kick away from claiming European club football’s greatest prize against Manchester United FC on 21 May yet ultimately succumbed to a 6-5 shoot-out loss and, while the memories linger, the 26-year-old is focused on the next challenge. “In football, everything goes so quickly and you have to move on,”. “It was disappointing in Moscow because we were so close to winning the Champions League. For me it’s a big advantage that there is another tournament waiting because I can now concentrate on EURO. It helps me to cope with the disappointment.”

‘Feel the tension’
Having appeared at UEFA EURO 2004™ and the FIFA World Cup two years later, the 59-times capped Čech is an old hand, but he still feels a frisson of anticipation as his prepare for their opening Group A game against co-hosts Switzerland in Basel on Saturday. “I have more experience now so I know what’s coming but still you can feel the tension and you know how big an event this is,” he said. “I love to play in these tournaments because the whole world is watching and there’s pressure, adrenaline and an amazing number of supporters. This is the top level and I always really look forward to these events.”

Home hopes
The Czechs then face Portugal and Turkey in Group A, and their goalkeeper expects a stiff test at the hands of all three. “It’s a tough group,” he said. “It will be important how Switzerland cope with the pressure of being the hosts. I remember playing in the 1999 UEFA European Under-16 Championship, which is not really comparable, but we were the hosts and there was extra pressure because people expect you to play well in your own country. It gave us an extra motivation and we played better because of that, so we’ll see how they can cope.

Quality and danger
“Turkey have a lot of quality players, although you never know which side is going to turn up,” Čech went on. “If they have a good day they can be one of the best teams in the world; if they don’t have the appetite then it can be different, but they’re a quality and dangerous side. Portugal are favourites in the group for me; they have a great team and a great coach but also have the experience. Cristiano Ronaldo is on fire, and then they have other great players like Deco and Ricardo Carvalho – they’re always a great team.”

Last-eight aim
Having featured ten times as the Czechs won qualifying Group D ahead of Germany, and helped his side reach the semi-finals in Portugal four years ago, Čech might be expected to be aiming high again, but instead he is reluctant to look too far ahead. “We know there’ll be a lot of pressure on everyone because you always want to do well – to take part in the tournament is already a great achievement but you always want to be successful,” he said. “We can be positive; we had a good qualifying campaign and we’ve done reasonably well in our friendly games. We have a good squad and we can reach the quarter-finals, which is our target. We’ll see what happens after that. “