Joy for Jiracek after Czech progression

Czech Republic attacker Petr Jiracek says his team deserved to score against Poland and ultimately qualify for the Euro 2012 quarter-finals.

The Wolfsburg player netted the only goal of the match against Franciszek Smuda’s men in the second half to secure the three points as his country finished top of Group A.

And Jiracek praised his team’s resilience and determination after they recovered from a below-par start to the match to claim victory.

“We had a poor start but we gradually improved, we started to create chances,” Jiracek said after the match.

“Ultimately, we deserved to score.”

The Czech Republic will face the second-placed team of Group B in the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 on June 12 in Warsaw.

Their opponents will be determined on Sunday when Germany face Denmark and Portugal face the Netherlands.