Vaclik, in quarters and without equipment

Right after eliminating the Netherlands (2-0), the Czech Republic team formed a huge circle at the Puskas Arena in Budapest. Tomas Vaclik, the goalkeeper of the Slavic team (Ostrava, 32 years old), was greeting all his teammates one by one, who firmly embraced one of his references. Vaclik had made a decisive action against the Dutch Malen, whom he sliced ​​the ball when the forward had all the options to score the goal that put his team ahead with zero to zero on the scoreboard. Shortly after came the expulsion of De Ligt and the goals of the triumph of the Czech Republic, which returned to the quarterfinals of a European Championship after qualifying for this phase in the 2012 tournament, as with his stops against Scotland and Croatia had been key in the Czech victory.A small miracle for a goalkeeper without a team after his contract at Sevilla ended and with physical problems with his knees. With work, professionalism and placement, Vaclik overcomes these physical obstacles, which sometimes cause him to face situations at a disadvantage, such as when he started late in the first half against the Netherlands and could not react well in a Dumfries boarding school.

“I am feeling the admiration of the Sevilla fans. It has been an unforgettable stage in my career ”, Vaclik himself said just a month ago, when he said goodbye to the Andalusian club, which decided not to renew him after signing him in the summer of 2018. The Czech played 94 games in these three years, fitting 105 goals and leaving a clean sheet 34 times. Sevilla paid about six million euros to Basel for a goalkeeper who had two seasons at a good level, until in the third the position was taken by his teammate Bono. In a match against Eibar in Nervión, Kike García fell on him. Just above one knee with which he had arrived with problems at Sevilla. But Vaclik did not hide them. "I am an honest person," he said in an interview with this newspaper.Vaclik had signed at Sevilla with a clause that would void his contract if the knee presented problems after what was detected in the medical examination.

Your daughter's accident

Vaclik always lined up giving an example of professionalism and playing games, like against Madrid in 2018, after a whole night without sleep in the hospital due to the domestic accident of his daughter, who fell from the balcony. After a difficult year, where he has only played eight games between the League, the Cup and the Champions League, Vaclik writes a beautiful story in this European Championship. His five stops against Scotland in the premiere of the Czech Republic served as a springboard for a very successful tournament. Against Croatia, he only had to make one save. The draw (1-1) against the Croats sealed the Czech Republic's pass to the round of 16, although the defeat against England (1-0) and the triumph of Croatia against Scotland (3-1) caused the Czech Republic to pass as third group to face the Netherlands.Against England he made three stops and none against the Dutch team, who did not throw him on the door tied by the iron Czech approach.

In Budapest, Vaclik felt the warmth of his people. Like his brother, who encouraged him with a group of friends wearing the Sevilla shirt. The Andalusian club had the detail of congratulating the goalkeeper on his move to the quarterfinals. “He has great reflexes and positioning to make up for that physical handicap that he suffers. It is an example of overcoming ”, they affirm in the Andalusian club. Vaclik has left his mark on Sevilla for his quality as a goalkeeper and for adapting to a changing room that works like a family. “If we had to take as a reference the behavior of this group in recent seasons, we would have to renew all of them for no less than 10 years. And possibly Tomas (Vaclik) would be one of those who would be on that list. The non-continuity of Tomas is the decision that Monchi person would never have made,but as a sports director he had to drink. Tomas is left sane for a while ”, admitted the sports director on the day of his farewell from the Andalusian club. Monchi has signed Serbian goalkeeper Dmitrovic as a replacement for the Czech.

Meanwhile, Vaclik added his 41st match with the Czech Republic playing his first major national team tournament as a starter.

There is not a goalkeeper in his country who will remove the position of this veteran who had Petr Cech as a reference, he admired Ivo Viktor (champion goalkeeper at Euro 1976) and Pavel Srnicek (legend at Newcastle) and still remembers Kouba , runner-up goalkeeper in the 1996 Euro Cup in England who also defended Deportivo's goal.

The Czech Republic plays the quarterfinals against Denmark and Vaclik is still without a team.

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