Schick’s scintillating brace ensures Scotland get off to horror start in their EURO 2020 campaign.

Czech Republic secured an important victory over Scotland in their opening fixture of EURO 2020. Patrik Schick claimed the headlines as his brace confirmed a miserable start to the tournament for the Tartan Army.

The Bayer Leverkusen striker has flourished as the future of Czech football, and at Hampden Park on Monday he proved why, as he scored a brace to put his side in prime position to qualify for the knockout stages of EURO 2020.

Schick scored one of the greatest goals in the history of Hampden as the Czech Republic dealt a huge blow to Scotland’s hopes of qualifying for the Euro 2020 knockout stages.

His sensational effort from over 45 yards looped over a back-pedalling David Marshall early in the second half, earlier in the game the Czech striker scored a delightful header to put his side 1-0 up inside the first half.

Schick’s sensational second goal was against the run of play as Scotland sustained a period of intense pressure, Jack Hendry hit the crossbar while both Dykes and Stuart Armstrong came close, but ultimately they were made to rue their missed chances.

The Czech striker – who played for Roma in between 2017-2020 – could have scored more than just two as Marshall made several stunning save to keep the scoreline within reaching distance.

The 25-year-old’s stats speak for themselves as he is a proven goalscorer across Europe’s top-flight divisions, transitioning from Italy to Germany in recent years. You could tell he was used to the biggest of occasions, as he claimed Man of the Match, leading his side to a well-deserved victory.

He stacks up at 6ft 2 and it’s safe to say he made a nuisance of himself from the get-go. Within a matter of minutes, he could have had his first as he connected with a cut-back, his effort flew towards Marshall’s front post but the Scotsman was able to palm it away.

As the game progressed, Scotland started to flourish in wide areas before looking for Lyndon Dykes who was poised within the box. He came closest within the first 45 as he failed to divert Andy Robertson’s cross on target.

One man’s misfortune was another delight as Schick showed Dykes how to connect with a cross as he opened the scoring on the 42 minutes. Vladimir Coufal was the provider as he overlapped in a wide area before floating a cross into the box.

The Bayer Leverkusen forward beat Grant Hanley in the air before directing his header past an outstretched Marshall, who was hopeless due to the sheer quality of the finish. 

Before Scotland had any real chance to mount some pressure in the second half, it became two, Jack Hendry tried his luck from long range before he perfectly teed up Schick from just inside the Scotland half.

He spotted Marshall off his line and launched a magnificent left-footed shot that spiralled over a flailing Scotsman and into the top corner, with Marshall helpless as he fell into the back of the net.

Scotland now needed a miracle. They threw caution to the wind as they went after any kind of result as a whole host of substitutes entered the field. Their best chance came from James Forrest down the right-hand side but he failed to beat a determined Tomas Vaclik.

The game petered to an end as everyone inside Hampden Park was left silenced after defeat upon the final whistle. Jaroslav Šilhavý’s men find themselves comfortably at the top of Group D after the opening fixtures.

Scotland now play England as they travel to Wembley on Friday, while Czech Republic face Croatia at Hampden Park. It already looks like a difficult task for Clarke’s side to qualify for the round of 16, as they must beat either England or Croatia out of their remaining two fixtures.

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