Czechoslovakia went to dispute its first edition of the World Cup. The national team had achieved some interesting results in the previous matches, mainly their victory in the first match against England, 2:1, in Prague, which was a real celebration for the Czechs. They, however, were not considered favorites to win the tournament. With Austria, Italy, Hungary and even Spain sometimes being considered superior teams. The basis of the national team was, once again, the union between S.K. Slavia and A.C. Sparta. Through the exceptional extra-class goalkeeper František Plánička and other great names of continental football, Czechoslovakia still had a brilliant team to make a good campaign.

The first match was somewhat of a surprise for Czechoslovakia. They were favorites going into the battle against Romania but struggled in the first half so had to go after the scoreline to even it out after Dobay scored for Romania. The team did not play a good match, only Ladislav Ženíšek and, mainly, Plánička played an excellent game, thus saving Czechoslovakia from a complete disaster in the first game. Through two goals from the effective left side — Oldřich Nejedlý and Antonín Puč —, Czechoslovakia turned the game around and went on to the next stage of the tournament.



Changes would have to be made, as the scare that Romania caused almost took the team out of the tournament. Had Plánička not been in excellent form, the team could have been eliminated in the first round of the tournament, causing widespread disappointment in Czech football.

The match against Romania was Josef Silný's last match for Czechoslovakia.

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The next match was against Switzerland, which was a very fast team, quick with their actions, had an excellent defensive system and an inside trio capable of doing damage to any defensive system. They were a dangerous team and it would be difficult if Czechoslovakia played the same football as in the first match.

However, Czechoslovakia played better than in the first match, even though they still had a lot to improve. As much as Switzerland caused some scares, including scoring the first goal of the match, Czechoslovakia played better and were more efficient. The half-back line improved considerably to the point where Štefan Čambal was considered the man of the match. Captain Plánička was once again exceptional, Ladislav Ženíšek, who ended up getting injured, did very well too and the forward line improved a lot with the addition of František Svoboda. Nevertheless, the left side was still the most dangerous side of the team, with Nejedlý and Puč putting on a highly decisive tournament for their nation.



Gradually, Karel Petrů's team adjusted, improving as the tournament went on.

NEJEDLÝ'S HAT-TRICK & FINAL

In a clash of different styles, Czechoslovakia face Germany, a team that tactically was very different from the other teams in the tournament. Germany was a more physical national team, more robust and with a more modern system. However, it still featured high-class players who were standing out in the tournament. On the other hand, Czechoslovakia was without Ženíšek, one of the best full-backs of the II. World Cup.

However, as much as it took Czechoslovakia to demonstrate its quality, when it did, it performed a tremendous game in all its lines.

 
Plánička had confirmed that he was the best goalkeeper of II. World Cup. He made extra-class saves against Germany, he was spectacular. Ženíšek's substitute, Jaroslav Burgr, was the red team's best full-back. Čambal, once again, was excellent on the half-back line. Nejedlý was the best forward, not only because of his three goals, but his actions on the left side were outstanding.

The 1934 World Cup Final was a veritable battle of styles. The Italians were favorites for the match, due to playing at home and being widely considered a better team than Czechoslovakia. However, the match was highly disputed, in addition to the fact that, due to a psychological factor, Nejedlý and Sobotka could have increased the score, right after Puč scored 1:0 for the team.

The Czechs had their strongest, best, and most self-sacrificing man in Plánička, who saved everything that could be saved. His impressive performance brought the Italian audience to a storm of applause that was fully deserved. The second mainstay was Ženíšek, the man who was about to be thrown away. He outshone Ctyřoký with his security and decisive intervention in the worst situations. The half-back line had, once again, had Čambal as the best player. The forward line was too slow and not very powerful, especially compared to the fast Italians. Nejedlý and Puč were well covered, but Puč still managed to do something. Svoboda constantly helped the defense, and then fell short during a general attack in front. Junek did not show much, thus that again the brunt rested on the left, and Sobotka could contribute little to orderly action.

CONCLUSION

Czechoslovakia started the tournament very badly, they could have been eliminated soon against Romania. In the following matches, they improved their football, achieving better results through a more solid defensive system and a left side solving the problems in the attack.

Plánička was the main reason Czechoslovakia stayed and advanced in the tournament. He performed several extra-class saves, the Prague cat was a real wall for his team. With Plánička's confidence in goal and Ženíšek's performances, the other lines could stand out. Josef Čtyřoký was way down throughout the tournament, especially in the final when he was blamed for a defensive error that resulted in a goal. Burgr was not the main option, but in the only match which he played, he still managed to outperform Čtyřoký.

Like most of the team, the half-back line started the tournament badly. Čambal and Josef Košťálek were far below. The football presented by Čambal was surprisingly weak in the first match. However, in the following stages, I heard a change in performances, as Čambal and Košťálek began to outperform Rudolf Krčil. Čambal was considered by many as the best centre-half of the tournament.

     Puč                        Sobotka                        Junek
Nejedlý            Svoboda

    R. Krčil         Čambal         Koštálek

Čtyřoký         Ženíšek

Plánička

The offensive line had a huge difference in the level of performance between the sides. Silný, unfortunately, in his last match for Czechoslovakia, made one of his worst matches for the red team. In the very next match, he was replaced by Svoboda, who was far from being one of the offensive highlights, but was better than Silný. František Junek was not fully powered. Both right insiders — Silný and Svoboda — were unable to supply S.K. Slavia's right winger. Junek didn't perform his regular football in the tournament overall, but he had a good game against Germany.

Offensive standouts: Oldřich Nejedlý and Antonín Puč.

The offensive axis, the playmaker, the centre-forward Jiří Sobotka. had regular performances. As already mentioned above, there were no great highlights in the attack, no. Sobotka was not an incisive force for Czechoslovakia's effectiveness, however much he had a good participation after the match against Romania. The left side, played by Nejedlý and Puč, was, without a doubt, one of the main attractions of the tournament. Nejedlý was almost always the team's best forward, always performing well and scoring decisive goals. Puč, in turn, had brilliant performances against Switzerland, fell out of production against Germany and played exceptionally well against Italy in the World Cup final, being one of the best players in the match, even when he was injured and had to to leave the field for a few moments.