Petr Cech Criticises Czechia - Calls Bafana Bafana Decision-Making 'Very Poor'

John Eastwood

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Last updated: 19 Jun 2026

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John Eastwood 19 Jun 2026

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Petr Cech criticised Czechia for being too passive after taking the lead.
South Africa was praised for build-up play but faulted for poor decisions in attack.
Cech stressed that Czechia lost control and allowed their opponents to equalise.

Former Czechia goalkeeper Petr Cech says that his nation lost control of the match vs South Africa (Getty Images).

After Czechia and South Africa played out a 1-1 draw in the FIFA World Cup 2026, former Chelsea and Czechia goalkeeper Petr Cech was critical of both sides.
Czechs Too Passive
South Africa - Good Buildup Play but Poor Decision Making
Czechia Lost Control

Czechs Too Passive

According to Czech media, Cech said Miroslav Koubek's side did not try to kill off the game after taking a 1-0 lead. He bemoaned: "We were very passive.

"We had opportunities, but we didn't finish them off. Then we basically told ourselves, 'let them show what they've got.' We waited to see what they would come up with.

South Africa - Good Buildup Play but Poor Decision Making

Cech said of his nation's opponents, Bafana Bafana: "They had a very good and interesting pre-final phase; they were getting to the box quite well, but then their decision-making was very poor.

"Our team told themselves it would be fine. This type of match tempts you into that. But once you surrender the ball to the opponent, they will eventually succeed at something.

"One unlucky handball, a penalty, and you lose the victory."

Czechia Lost Control

The record appearance maker for Czechia went on to say: "The team handled certain situations very well. Yes, the performance met certain parameters in some phases, but not in others.

"They relinquished the initiative to the opponent, and that was the deciding factor. It wasn't a total collapse. It wasn't that the boys didn't want to work, but we are talking about the quality of play.

"The opponent took advantage of our dead passages. When you lose control of the match, the opponent can exploit it."