Czechs book play-off final spot after penalty shootout win against Ireland

2026-03-26 - 23:40

Czech Republic players celebrate winning the penalty shootout against Ireland at the Fortuna Arena in Prague. (EPA Images pic) PRAGUE: The Czech Republic clinched their place in a World Cup qualification play-off final after edging past Ireland on penalties on Thursday in a thrilling encounter that finished 2-2 after extra time. Jan Kliment scored the winning penalty to send the Czechs through to Tuesday’s final where they will play Denmark for a place at the tournament in June-July in the US, Canada and Mexico. Troy Parrott put the Irish ahead in the 19th minute from the spot after a VAR review determined that Czech midfielder Vladimir Darida had caught Nathan Collins’ foot when contesting a loose ball in the area. The visitors doubled their lead four minutes later when an attempted clearance from defender Vladimir Coufal went into his own net. The Czechs responded in the 27th minute through a Patrik Schick penalty and then sent the match to extra time when captain Ladislav Krejci headed home in the 86th minute.