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Kovář Saves Two Penalties to Send Czechia to World Cup

1 min read

22:11UTC

Czechia beat Denmark 2-2 on the night before winning 3-1 on penalties in Prague on 31 March, with goalkeeper Matej Kovář saving two Danish penalties to send them to their first World Cup since 2006.

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SportAssessed

Key takeaway

Kovář's two penalty saves gave Czechia a World Cup place Denmark were strong favourites to take.

Czechia and Denmark drew 2-2 in Prague on 31 March before Matej Kovář saved two Danish penalties in a shootout Czechia won 3-1. Hojlund hit the bar during normal time; at 2-2, it could have gone either way before the penalties. Czechia's first World Cup since 2006 ends a 20-year absence and completes the UEFA Path D final begun at the semi-final stage.

Kovář's two saves were the decisive act. His performances throughout the playoff window were central to Czechia's progression; the squad's Bundesliga core provides cohesion their qualifying group stage did not fully reveal. Denmark, consistent qualifiers across the last decade, enter a re-examination of their squad and penalty preparation after an elimination that will sting regardless of the setting.

Deep Analysis

In plain English

Czechia and Denmark drew 2-2 after 90 minutes in Prague on 31 March. In the penalty shootout, Czechia's goalkeeper Matej Kovář saved two Danish penalties to give Czechia a 3-1 penalty win. This sends Czechia to their first World Cup since 2006, a 20-year absence. Denmark, who regularly qualify for major tournaments, were eliminated.

Sources:UEFA

Mentions:Czechia →Denmark →Kovář →World Cup →UEFA →

First Reported In

Update #4 · 48 Teams, Four Debutants, One Missing Champion

UEFA· 1 Apr 2026

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