Czechs beat Saudis 2-0 in warmup
Czechs beat Saudis 2-0 in warmup
The Czech Republic scored in each half to beat Saudi Arabia 2-0 Friday in a WorldCup warm-up for both teams.

Innsbruck (Austria): The Czech Republic scored in each half to beat Saudi Arabia 2-0 Friday in a World Cup warm-up for both teams.

Milan Baros scored his 27th goal in 47 games for the Czech Republic when he finished his solo run with a low shot past goalkeeper Mohammad Khoja in the 15th minute.

Marek Jankulovski converted a penalty kick in the 90th after David Jarolim was fouled in the area.

The Czechs, ahead of their first World Cup, were coming off an intensive training camp in nearby Seefeld. They dominated throughout the match, while Saudi Arabia relied on occasional counterattacks.

"There's lots of things we have to improve in our tactics," Czech Republic coach Karel Bruckner said. "We're just in the first phase of our preparation."

In the 31st, Saud Kareeri wasted Saudi Arabia's best chance when he beat the defense and had only goalkeeper Petr Cech to beat - but the Chelsea No. 1 blocked his low shot.

Both teams were without key starters, but star Czech midfielder Pavel Nedved almost scored in the 49th when his 18-meter shot was pushed around the post by Khoja.

"I hope we'll be in top form in two weeks in Germany," Baros said.

Czech Republic striker Jan Koller, who injured his right leg on Thursday, sat out the game. Czech Republic captain Tomas Galasek and midfielder Vladimir Smicer also missed out due to injury.

"It's getting better," Koller said, adding that he'd "like to play" in the next warm-up against Costa Rica at home in Jablonec on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia rested goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Deayea, the world's most capped international player with 181.

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"Our players were strong and played better than the last two games," said Saudi Arabia coach Marcos Paqueta, referring to the team's 1-0 win against Togo 1-0 and its 2-1 loss to Belgium earlier this month.

"We're on the right track," Paqueta added. "Our players need more experience - games against strong and experienced players like Nedved or Baros. That's very important for us."

The Czechs - second in FIFA's rankings - will also play a warm-up against Trinidad and Tobago in Prague on June 3, while Saudi Arabia faces Turkey in its last tuneup on May 31 in Offenbach, Germany.

In Group E, the Czech Republic's opener is against the United States on June 12, before playing Ghana and Italy.

Saudi Arabia - in its fourth consecutive World Cup - is in Group H with Ukraine, Spain and Tunisia.

Teams:Czech Republic: Petr Cech; Zdenek Grygera, David Rozehnal, Tomas Ujfalusi, Marek Jankulovski, Karel Poborsky (David Jarolim, 64), Tomas Rosicky (Jaroslav Plasil, 46), Jan Polak, Pavel Nedved, Vratislav Lokvenc (Jiri Stajner, 56), Milan Baros (Martin Jiranek, 89).

Saudi Arabia: Mohammad Khoja; Ahmed Al-Dokhi, Reda Takur, Hamad Al-Montashri, Abdul Aziz Al-Khathran (Hussein Abdul Ghani, 87), Khaled Aziz (Malik Moud, 74), Saud Kareeri, Nawaf Al-Tamyat (Mohammad Al-Shalhoub, 62), Yasser Al-Qhatani (Sami Al-Jaber, 90), Mohammad Nur (Mohammed Ameen,79), Omar Al-Ghamdi.

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