Czech Republic opened Euro 2008 with three points as they defeated co-hosts Switzerland 1-0 at St Jakob-Park.
Second-half substitute Vaclav Sverkos scored the only goal of the game on 70 minutes to settle an underwhelming curtain-raiser in Basel.
The first half was a tight affair, but it was Switzerland who created the best opportunity midway through the opening period as record scorer and captain Alexander Frei was denied by Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech from close range.
However, that was to be Frei's last contribution as the striker limped off in tears on the stroke of half-time with a serious knee injury which could well have ended the Borussia Dortmund star's tournament.
The Czechs lacked a cutting edge in the first 45 minutes and that bluntness continued after the interval to bring about the introduction of Sverkos in place of the ineffective Jan Koller.
And Sverkos made an almost immediate impact upon the game as he broke the Switzerland offside trap to poke in his first international goal after latching onto a long Tomas Galasek header.
Switzerland could have snatched a point in Group A with 10 minutes remaining as Cech palmed out a Tranquillo Barnetta drive, but substitute Johan Vonlanthen could only rattle the rebound against the crossbar.
What the defeat, and more importantly Frei's injury, will do to the Swiss remains to be seen, but they already face an uphill struggle to qualify from a group that also includes Turkey and Portugal.
The first half was a tight affair, but it was Switzerland who created the best opportunity midway through the opening period as record scorer and captain Alexander Frei was denied by Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech from close range.
However, that was to be Frei's last contribution as the striker limped off in tears on the stroke of half-time with a serious knee injury which could well have ended the Borussia Dortmund star's tournament.
The Czechs lacked a cutting edge in the first 45 minutes and that bluntness continued after the interval to bring about the introduction of Sverkos in place of the ineffective Jan Koller.
And Sverkos made an almost immediate impact upon the game as he broke the Switzerland offside trap to poke in his first international goal after latching onto a long Tomas Galasek header.
Switzerland could have snatched a point in Group A with 10 minutes remaining as Cech palmed out a Tranquillo Barnetta drive, but substitute Johan Vonlanthen could only rattle the rebound against the crossbar.
What the defeat, and more importantly Frei's injury, will do to the Swiss remains to be seen, but they already face an uphill struggle to qualify from a group that also includes Turkey and Portugal.
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