Schick Strikes Twice as Czech Republic Edges Past Faroe Islands in Tightly Contested Victory

The Czech Republic has begun its journey towards a potential first FIFA World Cup (WC) final appearance in two decades with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Faroe Islands in Hradec Kralove, largely thanks to Patrik Schick, who scored both goals to spare his team’s blushes. This win maintained their flawless head-to-head record against the Landslíð earlier, marking their eighth consecutive victory over the islanders.

The hosts, as anticipated, came out strong from the outset, yet an early goal eluded them after Andrias Edmundsson’s attempt to clear Vladimir Coufal’s long throw fell perfectly to Jaroslav Zeleny, whose powerful volley was brilliantly kept out by Bardur a Reynatrod.

After Schick missed a great chance, the Czechs had a moment of concern when a defensive blunder allowed Hanus Sørensen a chance on goal, but Matej Kovar was alert enough to deflect the weak shot away.

In the 23rd minute, the Czechs experienced a scare with Tomas Holes forced off the pitch, but they quickly found a reason to celebrate. Following a corner from Vaclav Cerny that was deflected across the box, Lukas Cerv showed excellent awareness to retrieve the ball, sending it back into a dangerous area where Schick headed in the opener.

The visitors responded positively, with Arni Frederiksberg’s free-kick deflected for a corner, which resulted in Edmundsson’s header that tested Kovar.

Czech corners proved to be a constant threat, with Tomas Soucek seeing a flick cleared off the line by Viljormur Davidsen and sending another effort wide. Despite the setback, the Faroe Islanders started the second half with determination, curtailing the Czech attack, exemplified when A Reynatrod intercepted the ball from Cerny following some neat interplay.

However, A Reynatrod couldn’t contain everything, as he was beaten when Schick controlled a low cross into the box from Cerny, setting up Ladislav Krejci, whose effort was disallowed for offside.

Krejčí quickly returned to his defensive role, heading away a strike from Sorensen, while both Tomáš Chorý and Zelený failed to find the target at the other end.

Chorý experienced frustration as his powerful header was saved, and the frustration peaked for the Czech fans when Gunnar Vatnhamar levelled for the Faroe Islands with a header from Adrian Justinussen’s corner in the 83rd minute. Just two minutes later, Schick rose to the occasion, nodding in from Zeleny’s cross to prevent what could have been a humiliating draw for the Czechs.

This result meant that the Czech Republic could celebrate their unbeaten streak, which now stands at six matches across all competitions, joining Montenegro (previously a 3-1 victor over Gibraltar) on three points in their World Cup qualifying Group L. Additionally, the Faroe Islands were left to lament their dismal record of just one win from their last 20 competitive away matches.