HAMBURG, Germany (Reuters) – Czech coach Ivan Hasek said he would focus on the next challenge rather than the referee’s decision to send off Antonin Barak in the 2-1 defeat by Turkey on Wednesday that knocked them out of Euro 2024.
The Czechs, quarter-finalists at the last tournament, needed victory to stand any chance of advancing but the 20th-minute dismissal of midfielder Barak for a harsh second yellow card hit them hard.
“We are not going to change what happened here,” Hasek told reporters. “There is another challenge ahead of us, qualification for the World Cup.”
Turkey overcame stiff resistance from a 10-man Czech Republic in the Group F match with goals from Hakan Calhanoglu and the winner from Cenk Tosun in stoppage time after Tomas Soucek had equalised.
“This team was capable of advancing,” Hasek said. “I am upset and upset for my guys. They played really well tonight. They risked injury until the very last minute.
“Obviously, this (the two yellow cards) affected the game very much. We had a strategy going in to the game and unfortunately this affected the game a lot.”
After losing to Portugal in stoppage time in their opening match and drawing with Georgia, the Czechs could have finished second by beating Turkey.
But the absence of striker Patrik Schick, who scored against Georgia to add to his five goals at the last Euros before limping off injured, proved a huge setback.
Hasek said he only spoke to Barak briefly at halftime but said the attacking midfielder was distraught over his sending-off.
“He was upset with his head in his hands,” Hasek said. “He punished himself by beating himself up about this.”
Hasek, in charge of the Czech side for a second stint, also praised the atmosphere at the tournament, saying it was one of the best experiences of his career.
His young squad will also learn from the tournament in Germany and draw motivation as they target qualification for the next World Cup, he added.
“It was one of the most beautiful tournament atmospheres I have experienced in my career,” Hasek said. “This is how you motivate young players. Having lived through this they will want to live through this again.”
(Reporting by Michael Kahn, Editing by Ed Osmond)
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