Czech Republic endured a disappointing Euro 2016 as Pavel Vrba's men were dumped out in the group stages. Here's a look back at their tournament.
At a glance
The organisation Vrba imparted was talked up before the tournament began, but in the end it was undone by the manager's overreliance on old legs and old names.
Highlight
Coming back from 2-0 down to draw with Croatia 2-2. Of course, when the team earns just one point at a major tournament, it's not easy to pick a highlight, but Czech Republic made this match a thriller.
Croatia's cause wasn't helped by the section of their fans determined to make trouble, but the first Czech goal came before the first flare was thrown. Super-sub Milan Skoda, subbed on less than 10 minutes before, delivered a fantastic header to give Czech Republic hope. Another substitute, Tomas Necid, sent in a thumping penalty that secured the draw. But the Czechs kept going, pouring forward in hope of getting the win.
It's enough to make you wonder what might have been had Vrba unleashed the attacking talent that so thrilled during qualifying right from the start.
Low point
Turkey's first goal, when Emre Mor left Jaroslav Plasil and Daniel Pudil utterly discombobulated, which allowed the 18-year-old plenty of space to place the perfect ball for Burak Yilmaz to score.
Gerard Pique's 87th minute winner for Spain in the first match was also a blow but one the Czechs were mostly expecting. After the draw with Croatia, there was a feeling that Czech Republic were going to advance. The thought was they'd be able to easily deal with Turkey, who looked rather woeful in their first two matches.
But Turkey were wise. Fatih Terim brought on fresh legs to target the Czechs' weakest link, the left flank. And as soon as Turkey had the lead, it was obvious that Vrba's own changes weren't sufficient to turn things around.
Star man
Tomas Rosicky. Sometimes intangibles are given too much credit in football; sometimes they're not given enough. Having Rosicky -- even an aged, tired, possibly still-hurting Rosicky -- along for the Euro ride brought much-needed experience and leadership to this Czech side.
That's not to say the 35-year-old did nothing. He fought hard against the waves of Spanish pressure, functioning primarily as a defensive midfielder in the first match. He sparked the few attacks the Czechs risked in that game. And, of course, he put in the cross for Skoda's goal against Croatia.
But his presence -- after playing less than 20 minutes for Arsenal in 2015-16 -- meant a great deal, to the fans if nothing else. The captain was clearly running on empty by the time the whistle blew against Croatia, but his efforts only endeared him more to the supporters. He provided hope, if only for a short while.
Lessons learned
Organisation isn't enough. After an excellent qualifying campaign, Vrba's methods were praised, but it all started to fall apart when the Czechs met tougher opposition. Going into World Cup qualifying, Czech Republic need to bring in a few new faces.
Rosicky, the rightly revered captain, did well to hold the side together against Spain and produced a few magical moments, but the team could do very little when he wasn't playing well. Plasil looked like he had cement in his boots much of the time. David Limbersky wasn't fit for forays up the left. And David Lafata hadn't scored for his country (outside the friendly against Malta) in nearly two years.
The younger players, Pavel Kaderabek, Ladislav Krejci and Vladimir Darida, provided a spark, and the squad needs to be built around them rather than the old guard.