West Ham United pair Tomáš Souček and Vladimír Coufal played their part as Czech Republic scored a 2-0 home win over Albania in UEFA Nations League B Group 1 on Friday evening.
National-team captain and midfield talisman Souček led his side, while right-back Coufal provided an assist as the Czechs made it back-to-back Nations League victories at epet ARENA – home to Sparta Prague.
Both goals were scored by Tomás Chorý, the giant Slavia Prague centre-forward. The first was a superb right-foot finish, and the second an unstoppable header from Coufal’s pinpoint cross. The assist was Coufal’s 12th in 48 caps for his country.
Souček, meanwhile, won his 75th senior cap as Ivan Hašek’s side moved level on six points with group leaders Georgia, who were beaten 1-0 by Ukraine on Friday evening.
Both Hammers will expect to start again when the Czechs travel to Wrocław Stadium in Poland to take on Ukraine on Monday 14 October at 8.45pm local time (7.45pm BST).
The Czechs made a nightmare start to their Nations League campaign when they were thumped 4-1 in Georgia on matchday one on 7 September, but bounced back three days later to defeat Ukraine 3-2 at the Eden Arena – venue for West Ham’s 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League triumph and home to Souček and Coufal’s former club Slavia Prague.
Souček netted the winner from the penalty spot against a Ukraine side which started former Hammer Andriy Yarmolenko, scoring his 14th international goal on his 74th appearance for his country.
The pair have now lined up alongside one another 256 times for Slavia Prague, Czech Republic and West Ham – dozens more than either of them have with any other teammate.
