The Czech Republic have taken a giant step towards qualification for FIFA World Cup Germany 2006, following a comfortable 1-0 away win against Norway in Oslo. Norway’s plan to stymie the free flowing football the Czech team like to play by producing a mess of a pitch backfired when the opposition simply proved too good for them.

The Czech Republic dominated the first half, producing a series of half-chances before Milan Baros came closest after 22 minutes; just missing with his head from a Pavel Nedved free-kick. The Juventus playmaker, making his return to international football after returning from retirement, was involved ten minutes later, when the Czech Republic took the lead. He put Karel Poborsky through on the right, where the ex-Manchester United player’s cross found Vladimir Smicer unmarked in the penalty area. He placed a perfect header into the top corner of Norway’s goal.

Norway employed a largely ineffective long ball approach and didn’t force a save from Petr Cech in the Czech goal until 39 minutes. A trademark strike from all of 30 yards from Liverpool’s John Arne Riise required the Chelsea star to turn the ball over the bar. Unfortunately for the Norwegian fans, that was as good as it got.

It was more of the same in the second half, with Nedved controlling things in midfield as Norway’s desperation grew in direct proportion to the disintegration of the poor excuse for a pitch. They failed to create a chance of any note and deserved to come away from this game facing a very slim chance to qualify for next year’s finals. For the Czech republic, things couldn’t look better.

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