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Czechoslovakia national football team facts for kids

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Czechoslovakia
to 1920–1994
Shirt badge/Association crest
Association Czechoslovak Football Association
Most caps Zdeněk Nehoda (91)
Top scorer Antonín Puč (34)
Home stadium Various
FIFA code TCH
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
Elo ranking
Highest 1 (24 May 1924)
Lowest 29 (August 1985)
First international
 Hungary 2–1 Bohemia 
(Budapest, Hungary; 5 April 1903)
Post-independence
 Czechoslovakia 4–1 Belgium 
(Paris, France; 24 June 1919)
Biggest win
 Czechoslovakia 7–0 Kingdom of SCS 
(Antwerp, Belgium; 28 August 1920)
 Czechoslovakia 7–0 Kingdom of SCS 
(Prague, Czechoslovakia; 28 October 1925)
Biggest defeat
 Hungary 8–3 Czechoslovakia 
(Budapest, Hungary; 19 September 1937)
 Scotland 5–0 Czechoslovakia 
(Glasgow, Scotland; 8 December 1937)
 Hungary 5–0 Czechoslovakia 
(Hungary; 30 April 1950)
 Hungary 5–0 Czechoslovakia 
(Hungary; 19 October 1952)
 Austria 5–0 Czechoslovakia 
(Zürich, Switzerland; 19 June 1954)
World Cup
Appearances 8 (first in 1934)
Best result Runners-up (1934, 1962)
European Championship
Appearances 3 (first in 1960)
Best result Champions (1976)
Medal record
FIFA World Cup
Silver 1934 Italy Team
Silver 1962 Chile Team
UEFA European Championship
Gold 1976 Yugoslavia Team
Bronze 1960 France Team
Bronze 1980 Italy Team
Olympic Games
Gold 1980 Moscow Team
Silver 1964 Tokyo Team

The Czechoslovakia national football team (Czech: Československá fotbalová reprezentace, Slovak: Česko-slovenské národné futbalové mužstvo) represented Czechoslovakia in men's international football from 1919 to 1993. The team was controlled by the Czechoslovak Football Association, and the team qualified for eight World Cups and three European Championships. It had two runner-up finishes in World Cups, in 1934 and 1962, and won the European Championship in the 1976 tournament.

At the time of the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed the remainder of this campaign under the name Representation of Czechs and Slovaks (RCS, Czech: Reprezentace Čechů a Slováků, Slovak: Reprezentácia Čechov a Slovákov) before it was disbanded. Both the Czech and Slovak national teams are considered to be the successor of the Czechoslovak record.

History

Bohemia

While part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Bohemia played its first international on 5 April 1903, a 2–1 loss for Hungary in Budapest. On 7 October, Hungary came to Prague for a 4–4 draw. The two countries played three more matches up to 1908, including Bohemia's only victory on 6 October 1907. Bohemia played its last match on 13 June 1908, losing 4–0 at home to England.

After being expelled from FIFA due to objections from the Austrian Football Association, the ČSF founded the UIAFA along with French USFSA and English Amateur Football Association in March 1909. Bohemia won the UIAFA Great European football tournament in 1911, defeating the AFA England team 2–1 in the final.

Inter-war

After World War I, an independent Czechoslovakia made its first appearance in 1919 in the Inter-Allied Games in Paris, a large sports competition organized in celebration of the Allied victory in the War. However, the matches of the tournament are not included in the official FIFA register. Czechoslovakia topped their group with three wins over Belgium, United States, and Canada, thus reaching the final, where they defeated the hosts France with a dramatic 3–2 win, thanks to two late goals from Antonín Janda.

In the following year, Czechoslovakia participated in the 1920 Olympic event in Antwerp, opening with a 7–0 win over Yugoslavia on 28 August. This squad, which had thirteen players from the Inter-Allied roster, then beat Norway 4–0 the next day in the quarter-finals and France 4–1 in the semi-finals on the 31st. However, in the final against Belgium on 2 September, the Czechoslovaks left the field 2–0 down after 40 minutes in protest with the English referee John Lewis, and were ejected from the tournament. Czechoslovakia returned for the 1924 Olympics in Paris and defeated Turkey 5–2 in the first round, but was eliminated in the second 1–0 against Switzerland in a replay after a 1–1 draw.

The nation entered the World Cup for the first time in 1934, and won its qualifier against Poland after its neighbor withdrew following a 2–1 Czechoslovak win in the first leg. At the finals in Italy, Czechoslovakia advanced past Romania, Switzerland, and Germany to reach the final, where it lost 2–1 to the host country after extra time. Oldřich Nejedlý won the Golden Shoe with five goals in the tournament.

Czechoslovakia qualified for the 1938 FIFA World Cup in France with a 7–1 aggregate victory over Bulgaria, and reached the quarter-finals with a 3–0 win over the Netherlands in Le Havre. In the quarter-final against Brazil, known as the Battle of Bordeaux for its rough play, Czechoslovakia lost the replay 2–1.

In 1939, under the German occupation name of "Bohemia", the team played three matches, defeating Yugoslavia 7–3 and drawing with both Ostmark (occupied Austria) and Germany itself.

Post-World War II

Josef Masopust (2011)
Josef Masopust won the Ballon d'Or for his performance in the Czechoslovakia side which reached the 1962 FIFA World Cup Final

After an absence from the 1950 qualification campaign, Czechoslovakia qualified for 1954 by topping its qualifying group unbeaten against Bulgaria and Romania with three wins and a draw. However, in the finals in Switzerland, it was eliminated from a strong group after defeats to Uruguay and Austria.

It also topped its qualifying group for the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden, ahead of Wales and East Germany. They opened their finals campaign on 8 June with a 1–0 defeat to Northern Ireland in Halmstad, followed by a 2–2 draw with reigning champions West Germany and a 6–1 win over Argentina. On 17 June, Czechoslovakia lost a play-off to advance into the knockout stages 2–1 to Northern Ireland in Malmö.

Modern age

On 5 April 1959, Czechoslovakia played the first ever qualifying match in a UEFA European Championship, losing 2–0 away to the Republic of Ireland but eventually advancing 4–2 on aggregate. Subsequent victories over Denmark (7–3 aggregate) and Romania (5–0 aggregate) put the country into the four-team finals in France. It lost 3–0 to the Soviet Union in the semi-final but gained third place with a 2–0 win over the hosts at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille.

Czechoslovakia qualified for the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile by defeating Scotland 4–2 after extra time in a play-off in Brussels, Belgium, after finishing level in their qualifying group. In the group at the finals, Czechoslovakia opened with a 1–0 win over Spain from a Jozef Štibrányi goal, and then drew 0–0 with holders Brazil. In the last group game on 7 June, Václav Mašek put Czechoslovakia ahead against Mexico in 12 seconds; the team lost 3–1 but advanced nonetheless.

After goalkeeper Viliam Schrojf's performance, a goal from Adolf Scherer in Rancagua was enough to beat Hungary in the quarter-final, and two more late goals by him against Yugoslavia put Czechoslovakia into their second World Cup final. In the final at the Estadio Nacional de Chile in Santiago, Josef Masopust put Czechoslovakia ahead after 15 minutes by finishing Scherer's pass, but Brazil soon equalised and exploited Schrojf's errors to win 3–1. Masopust's inspiration was awarded with the 1962 Ballon d'Or.

Santos vs czechoslovakia goal coutinho
Czechoslovakia v Santos FC friendly match in Chile, 1965

Czechoslovakia did not go to the 1966 FIFA World Cup, with Portugal topping their qualifying group, nor did they qualify for the European Championships of 1964 and 1968. On 3 December 1969, they defeated Hungary 4–1 in Marseille in a play-off to reach the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, having finished joint top of their qualifying group. Czechoslovakia lost all three of their matches in the 1970 World Cup, in a group featuring holders England and eventual winners Brazil.

After missing out on the 1972 European Championship and the 1974 World Cup, Czechoslovakia reached the 1976 European Championship in Yugoslavia, topping a group featuring England, Portugal and Cyprus and then defeating the Soviet Union 4–2 in a play-off. In the semi-final in Zagreb, they advanced after beating the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time. In the final on 20 June at Crvena Zvezda Stadium in Belgrade, Czechoslovakia led 2–0 before the game went to penalties at a 2–2 draw. Antonin Panenka scored the winning penalty with a chip, subsequently referred to by his name when executed by other players. In that squad, 16 of 22 players in the squad were Slovak and in both matches in the final tournament, 9 of 13 players were Slovak.

Belgrano v checoslovaquia 1979
Czechoslovakia playing C.A. Belgrano during their tour on Argentina in 1979

Czechoslovakia did not qualify for the 1978 FIFA World Cup, as Scotland won their group. The country did qualify for Euro 1980, and by coming second in its group behind West Germany faced the hosts Italy in a third-place play-off, which it won on sudden-death penalties at the Stadio San Paolo in Naples. At the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain, Czechoslovakia was eliminated in the group stage after draws with Kuwait and France and losing 2–0 to England. The country's last major tournament was the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, where in the group it opened with a 5–1 win over the United States before defeating Austria with a Michal Bilek penalty, enough to advance despite losing 2–0 to the hosts at the Stadio Olimpico. In the last 16 at the Stadio San Nicola in Bari, a hat-trick from Tomáš Skuhravý featured in a 4–1 in over Costa Rica. Czechoslovakia was eliminated on 1 July in a quarter-final at the San Siro, losing 1–0 from a Lothar Matthäus penalty against eventual winners West Germany. Later that month, manager Jozef Venglos who had led Czechoslovakia in the tournament was appointed as the first foreign manager in English football, at Aston Villa. Czechoslovakia (RCS) played their last qualifier for the USA 1994 FIFA World Cup in the no longer existing common republic, where they played their last match on 17 November 1993 against Belgium in Brussels. Since the game was for direct advancement from the group stage, after a goalless draw RCS did not advance. The RCS top scorer with six goals was Peter Dubovský, who scored a hat trick in the match against Romania in Všešportový areál on 2 June 1993.

Kit history

1934–1976
1950–1967 (away)
1980–1989
1990 Home
1990 Away
1992–93 Away

Coaching history

Results and fixtures (1908–1994)

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Did not enter Declined invitation
Italy 1934 Runners-up 2nd 4 3 0 1 9 6 Squad 1 1 0 0 2 1 1934
France 1938 Quarter-finals 5th 3 1 1 1 5 3 Squad 2 1 1 0 7 1 1938
Brazil 1950 Did not enter Did not enter
Switzerland 1954 Group stage 14th 2 0 0 2 0 7 Squad 4 3 1 0 5 1 1954
Sweden 1958 Group stage 9th 4 1 1 2 9 6 Squad 4 3 0 1 9 3 1958
Chile 1962 Runners-up 2nd 6 3 1 2 7 7 Squad 5 4 0 1 20 7 1962
England 1966 Did not qualify 6 3 1 2 12 4 1966
Mexico 1970 Group stage 15th 3 0 0 3 2 7 Squad 7 5 1 1 16 7 1970
West Germany 1974 Did not qualify 4 2 1 1 9 3 1974
Argentina 1978 4 2 0 2 4 6 1978
Spain 1982 Group stage 19th 3 0 2 1 2 4 Squad 8 4 2 2 15 6 1982
Mexico 1986 Did not qualify 8 3 2 3 11 12 1986
Italy 1990 Quarter-finals 6th 5 3 0 2 10 5 Squad 8 5 2 1 13 3 1990
United States 1994 Did not qualify 10 4 5 1 21 9 1994
Total Runners-up 8/15 30 11 5 14 44 45 71 40 16 15 144 63

UEFA European Championship

UEFA European Championship record Qualifying record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
France 1960 Third place 3rd 2 1 0 1 2 3 Squad 6 4 1 1 16 5 1960
Spain 1964 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 2 3 1964
Italy 1968 6 3 1 2 8 4 1968
Belgium 1972 6 4 1 1 11 4 1972
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976 Champions 1st 2 1 1 0 5 3 Squad 8 5 2 1 19 7 1976
Italy 1980 Third place 3rd 4 1 2 1 5 4 Squad 6 5 0 1 17 4 1980
France 1984 Did not qualify 8 3 4 1 15 7 1984
West Germany 1988 6 2 3 1 7 5 1988
Sweden 1992 8 5 0 3 12 9 1992
Total 1 Title 3/9 8 3 3 2 12 10 56 31 13 12 107 48

Olympic Games

Olympic Games record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
United Kingdom 1908 Withdrew
Sweden 1912 Did not enter
Belgium 1920 Disqualified 4 3 0 1 15 3 Squad
France 1924 Second round 9th 3 1 1 1 6 4 Squad
Netherlands 1928 Did not enter
Nazi Germany 1936
United Kingdom 1948
Finland 1952
Australia 1956
Italy 1960 Did not qualify
Japan 1964 Silver medal 2nd 6 5 0 1 19 5 Squad
Mexico 1968 Group stage 9th 3 1 1 1 10 3 Squad
West Germany 1972 Did not enter
Canada 1976
Soviet Union 1980 Gold medal 1st 6 4 2 0 10 1 Squad
United States 1984 Withdrew
South Korea 1988 Did not qualify
Total 1 Gold medal 5/17 22 14 4 4 60 16

Player records

Zdeněk Nehoda (2012)
Zdeněk Nehoda
Most capped players
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1. Zdeněk Nehoda 90 31 1971–1987
2. Marián Masný 75 18 1974–1982
Ladislav Novák 75 1 1952–1966
4. František Plánička 73 0 1926–1938
5. Karol Dobiaš 67 6 1967–1980
6. Josef Masopust 63 10 1954–1966
Ivo Viktor 63 0 1966–1977
8. Ján Popluhár 62 1 1958–1967
9. Antonín Puč 60 34 1926–1938
10. Antonín Panenka 59 17 1973–1982
Antonín Puč
Antonín Puč
Top goalscorers
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1. Antonín Puč 34 60 0.57 1926–1938
2. Zdeněk Nehoda 31 90 0.34 1971–1987
3. Oldřich Nejedlý 28 43 0.65 1931–1938
Josef Silný 28 50 0.56 1925–1934
5. Adolf Scherer 22 36 0.61 1958–1964
František Svoboda 22 43 0.51 1927–1937
7. Marián Masný 18 75 0.24 1974–1982
8. Antonín Panenka 17 59 0.29 1973–1982
9. Jozef Adamec 14 44 0.32 1960–1971
Tomáš Skuhravý 14 43 0.33 1985–1993

Head to head record (1908–1994)

Honours

Competition 1 2 3 Total
World Cup 0 2 0 2
European Championship 1 1 2 4
Olympic Games 1 1 0 2
Total 2 4 2 8
This is a list of honours for the senior Czechoslovakia national team

Major

  • Gold medal (1): 1980
  • Silver medal (1): 1964

Other

  • Central European International Cup:
    • Champions (1): 1955–60
    • Runners-up (2): 1927-30, 1948-53
  • Interallied Games:
    • Champions (1): 1919

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Checoslovaquia para niños

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