England Loses Qualifier to Czech Republic, First Time in 10 Years

England suffered a surprising defeat at the hands of the Czech Republic in a Euro 2020 qualifier match on Friday, with the Czechs scoring two goals against England's one.

“It was down to us. We had the perfect start but we were sloppy with the ball and they scored soon after. We weren’t fighting and pressing as much as we normally do. The second half was a bit better but we didn’t take a couple of chances to go ahead and unfortunately they scored at the end," Harry Kane commented on the loss,

according to The Guardian. “It’s a bit of a wake-up call. We’re still in a good position so there’s no need to panic. But we’ve still got stuff to work on, as you could see tonight. We gave the ball away too cheaply, especially in the first half.”

The last time England suffered a similar defeat was during a meet against Ukraine in the final match for 2010 World Cup qualification, The Daily Telegraph reported. In 2007, England suffered a crushing defeat by Croatia, which barred the former from reaching the finals. This year, however, England still has a chance to secure a place, but the upcoming Monday match against Bulgaria poses just as much uncertainty, the Telegraph report says.