Czech national team player Pavel Schulz stated that his goal in the World Cup playoff final against Denmark was the most crucial goal of his career so far. This goal helped his team win the match and secure their place in this summer's World Cup.

He was delighted that the team had advanced to the finals, thanks to the leadership of Miroslav Koubek, who had previously coached him at Viktoria Plzen. Just three minutes into the game, Pavel Schulz opened the scoring with a brilliant long-range shot into the far corner. The score remained 1-1 after regular time, leading to a 2-2 draw in extra time. Ultimately, the Czech Republic won again in the penalty shootout, having previously defeated Ireland on penalties in the semi-finals.

After the match, Pavel Schulz said, "I don't think I've ever scored a more important goal than this. This goal changed the course of the game to some extent. If the goal had come later, the opponent might not have been so confident, because they had the whole game to equalize or even take the lead. As of now, this should be the most important goal of my career."

Pavel Schulz was substituted in the 112th minute and missed the penalty shootout. He said, "We took the lead twice in the game, including in extra time. So going to penalties is harder for us to accept because we had a chance to finish the game in extra time. However, we practiced penalties before the game, while our opponents did not."

This is the Czech Republic's second qualification for the World Cup finals since independence, exactly 20 years after their last appearance. Pavel Schulz continued, "It feels wonderful, I'm incredibly happy. I'm happy for the coach and proud that the whole team was able to achieve this together."

The national team, led by Miroslav Koubek, has successfully qualified for the World Cup. The 74-year-old coach has achieved excellent results in his first two matches in charge and will appear on the field as one of the oldest coaches in World Cup history.

Pavel Schulz added: "I am very happy for him. It is admirable to achieve so much at such an age. During my time with Viktoria Plzen, I went through a very important period of my career under his guidance, and he helped me a lot."

Image source: Internet/Czech National Team Official Website