体坛英语新闻：Czech team surprises their fans

PRAGUE, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The Czech soccer team returned Friday to Prague to meet lukewarm welcome after it lost quarterfinal match to Portugal. Their mission to Euro 2012 was appraised as quite successful by local press.

Czech fans warmly appreciated performance on three internationally almost unknown players - Petr Jiracek, Vaclav Pilar and Theo Gebre Sellassie.

In a poll by webside Hattrick, these three they were chosen as best players of the team by more than 20 percent of a thousand respondents.

On the other hand, Czech supporters expected much more from internationally well-known stars like Petr Cech, Tomas Rosicky or Milan Baros. None of them got more than four percent votes.

Majority of fans were surprised by the first place of the Czech team in the group stage. Before the decisive match against Poland, more people expected a loss than win. Czechs were betting against their team in Friday's match against Portugal. Only one of six clients of country's betting companies believed in Czech ability to beat the team of Cristiano Ronaldo.

But probably the greatest surprise for Czech supporters, who travelled to Wroclaw and Warsaw, was very friendly welcome by Polish people.

Czech players were so happy with the hosts' attitude that they answered to cheers of hundreds of Polish fans who came to say good-bye to them after the march by chanting "Poland, Poland, white and red!" in Polish language.