First came the blood, then the swelling, and now it’s a bit difficult to breathe.
None of that matters all that much to Patrik Schick, though, because despite taking an elbow on the nose he still scored the all-important goal in the Czech Republic’s 1-1 draw against Croatia at the European Championship.
“The nose is not fractured, it’s fine. It’s a bit swollen and it’s a bit difficult to breathe for me,” Schick said in Prague on Saturday. “I was bleeding quite a lot but it wasn’t anything too dramatic.”
Schick took an elbow to the face on Saturday when he and Croatia defender Dejan Lovren challenged for a ball in the air in the first half at Hampden Park in Glasgow.
The referee awarded a penalty after a video review and gave a yellow card to Lovren. The Croatians argued that it was accidental contact, but Schick said the penalty was the right decision.
“I was behind the defender, trying to outjump him and he elbowed my nose in the air,” Schick said from the team’s base camp in the Czech capital. “For me, it was a clear penalty.”
With blood still dripping from his nose, Schick stepped up to the penalty spot and scored his tournament-leading third goal, giving the Czechs a 1-0 lead.
“The goalkeeper made it easier for me, diving the wrong way,” said Schick, who also scored two goals in his team’s 2-0 victory over Scotland.
Ivan Perišić equalized for Croatia in the second half.
The Czech Republic and England both have four points in the group ahead of their final game on Tuesday at Wembley Stadium. Croatia and Scotland both have one point and will meet at the same time in Glasgow.
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