Scotland U17 V Czech Republic U17 (Falkirk Stadium 23/03/2022)

Scotland U17 V Czech Republic U17 – UEFA Under 17 Championship Elite Round (23/03/2022)

After a change of plans I made the short 5 minute drive to Falkirk Stadium, after seeing on Twitter that Scotland Under 17’s we’re playing a trio of games in the UEFA Under 17 Championship Elite Round. An added bonus being that it was free entry and also a free programme covering all three games. A nice way to kill a few free hours on a sunny midweek afternoon.

So after seeing both the Czech and Scottish mens teams at Euro 2020 I would be getting to see the under 17 sides and a chance to potentially see some of the stars of the future.

I’ve been to Falkirk Stadium once before and it’s safe to say it was a lot drier this time round, compared to the downpour I experienced last time. It’s a good modern stadium with the only thing letting it down is that it only had three sides. There was no hot food on sale as they didn’t expect any numbers turning up as I was advised by the catering staff, so a packet of crisps and a Tango it was. It was a fair turnout with at least a couple of hundred in the ground, I took a seat on the halfway line in row K.

The Czechs almost took an early lead as Michal Màlek beat the offside trap superbly and created enough space to get a shot off which beat the keeper but couldn’t beat the post.

Dog watch returned but not in the stadium, due to the lack of stand on the opposite touchline to me, I spotted a group of dogs walking in the field behind the astroturf pitch next to the stadium. Due to distance I was unable to determine the breed of dog.

With just over 5 minutes left of the first half it was the Czech Republic who took the lead, as there were a lot of shouts for offside but Miloš Pudil battled through and with a well taken finish beat the keeper, into the bottom corner for 1-0.

Just three minutes later the lead was doubled from a well worked free kick as Jan Paluska was unmarked at the back post to head past Pazikas in the Scotland goal.

Three minutes changed the half, as up to the first goal it had been an even game with 0-0 looking a fair score going into the break. Proof that taking any chances that you get must be taken.

An end to end start to the second half as both sides went close, Ben Doak for Scotland looked lively, was causing plenty of problems for the Czech defence and went close on a couple of occasions.

With 70 minutes played, some superb play from Doak inside his own half turning two players at once, then powered his way towards the area and played a great ball to Rory Wilson who used his strength to create space and fired past the keeper to make it 2-1.

Deep into the four minutes of time added on Wilson added a second goal and the equaliser, after the ball dropped from a free kick he found himself in space and smashed the ball home.

Scotland had the better of the second half and really deserved the draw, a draw was the right result in my opinion as both sides dominated a half each. As a neutral fan, I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon of football and found it an entertaining game.

So onto my ratings…

Ticket Price – Free Entry

Programme Price – Free

Programme Rating – 7/10

Refreshments – 5/10

Stadium Facilities – 7/10

Getting To Stadium – 8/10

Stadium Rating – 7/10

Thanks for reading my thoughts on Scotland U17 against Czech Republic U17.

Daz Carding