Poland, Jun 22: Despite exiting the European Championship with barely a whimper, the Czech Republic will return home feeling progress has been made as its coach attempts to drive through a rebuilding process before the 2014 World Cup.
The Czechs failed to have a shot on target during their feeble 1-0 loss to Portugal in the quarterfinals in Warsaw on Thursday. Reaching that stage had exceeded expectations, however.
Looking set for a short stay after being overwhelmed 4-1 by Russia in their opening game, Michal Bilek's young team beat Greece 2-1 and co-host Poland 1-0 to make the last eight, mirroring the achievement of the country's class of 2004.
Goalkeeper Petr Cech says “it was a great experience for the lads ... They can build on it in the matches to come for the national team.”
