The Czech Republic beat Kosovo 2:1 in Prague in their last home test before leaving for the World Cup
The Czech national football team defeated Kosovo 2:1 in an international friendly match played on 31 May 2026 at the epet ARENA stadium in Prague. According to the official match report of the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the home side had already gained a two-goal lead in the first half, and Kosovo made the closing stages more uncertain with a goal in the 80th minute. The scorers for the Czech Republic were Tomáš Ladra in the 12th minute and Adam Hložek in the 32nd minute, while Lindon Emërllahu scored for Kosovo. The match had a preparatory character, but because of the moment in which it was played, it carried more weight than an ordinary test: it was the last home match of the Czech national team before leaving for the 2026 World Cup.
The meeting at Letná offered exactly what coaching staffs usually seek from final preparatory matches: a test of squad depth, minutes for players fighting for a role in the team, but also enough competitive intensity for the result not to be secondary. According to the report of the national association, the Czech Republic opened the match with several new names and received early answers in attack, while Kosovo, after a weaker first half, showed more verticality after the break and remained in the match until the end. The home team preserved the lead, but in the closing stages had to control the pressure of an opponent that, after reducing the score, was looking for an equaliser. In this way, the brief review from the original summary, according to which the Czech Republic made use of home ground and preserved the lead in a tight encounter, received full confirmation on the pitch.
Ladra's early goal steered the match
The Czech Republic took the lead in the 12th minute, during a period in which it was trying to quickly impose its rhythm and use width on the flanks. According to the description of the official match by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the move began after Adam Hložek broke through Kosovo's defence, and continued with a ball toward David Douděra on the opposite side of the penalty area. Douděra returned the ball into the danger zone in front of goal, where Tomáš Ladra reacted best and sent it into the net with his head. For Ladra, it was his first goal in the national team shirt, which made his performance particularly notable, although later that same day the Czech staff announced the final decision on the players travelling to the World Cup.
Before conceding the goal, Kosovo had an early break toward the Czech goalkeeper, but the home defence withstood the initial test. According to the FAČR report, Lukáš Horníček had to intervene as early as the fourth minute after an attempt by Albion Rrahmani, but the shot did not have enough power to seriously threaten the Czech goal. That detail showed that Kosovo had not come only to close down space and wait for a home mistake, but tried to go forward as soon as an opportunity opened up. Still, the Czech goal in the 12th minute changed the tone of the match because it allowed the home side calmer build-up play and more space for transition.
The lead was especially valuable for the Czech Republic because the match was played in the context of broader preparations for a major competition. In such matches, an early goal often has double value: the result provides security, and it allows the players to rely on previously agreed patterns without unnecessary nervousness. Ladra scored from a situation that combined Hložek's individual quality, Douděra's timely involvement and a good sense of space in the finish. For the home crowd at Letná, it was the quickest possible sign that the Czech Republic wanted to finish the home part of its preparations with a win.
Hložek confirmed his return with a goal for 2:0
The Czech Republic's second goal came in the 32nd minute, and the official report describes it as the end of a move in which Alexandr Sojka won the ball, Mojmír Chytil passed it toward Adam Hložek, and the forward increased the lead to 2:0 with a precise shot. That goal was important not only for the score but also because of Hložek's status in the team. According to the FAČR, Hložek thereby marked his return to the squad after almost a one-year break from national-team appearances. In a match that also served as a final check of form, such a contribution from the forward sent a clear message to the coaching staff.
At that moment, the Czech Republic had a scoreline that allowed it to control the rhythm, but the match was not completely one-sided. Kosovo tried to find passages through the middle and on the sides, especially through players who could attack the space behind the Czech full-back lines. The home side, on the other hand, showed better efficiency in the final phase in the first half and a better reaction after winning balls. According to the official match report, the first half ended 2:0, giving the Czech Republic a comfortable but not unreachable lead.
The dynamics of the first half were also influenced by a forced change in the Czech attack. Jan Kuchta went off in the 22nd minute and was replaced by Mojmír Chytil, who soon took part in the move for the second goal. Such situations in friendly matches often change the planned distribution of minutes, but the Czech staff quickly received a positive effect from the substitution. Chytil's involvement gave an additional link between midfield and attack, while Hložek used the space that opened up in front of Kosovo's defence.
Kosovo came back in the closing stages, but did not reach an equaliser
In the second half, the Czech coaching staff made several changes, which was expected given the preparatory character of the match. According to the official report, head coach Miroslav Koubek sent on a number of new players after the break, including Hugo Sochůrek, Denis Višinský and Christophe Kabongo, for whom these were first appearances for the senior national team. The changes gave the match a different rhythm: the Czech Republic still had situations for a third goal, but Kosovo increasingly found space for shots and crosses. In the 58th minute, according to the FAČR report, Horníček stopped a dangerous shot from Kosovo captain Mërgim Vojvoda and turned the ball away for a corner.
Kosovo reduced the score in the 80th minute. According to the official match report, the scorer was Lindon Emërllahu, who had entered the game in the 75th minute instead of Leon Avdullahu. The move began from the left side, Dion Gallapeni sent the ball toward goal, and after a deflection in the penalty area Emërllahu used his proximity to goal and scored for 2:1. That goal changed the ending because it gave the visitors a real chance to avoid defeat, while the Czech Republic had to make sure that a home win did not turn into an unpleasant final test.
The home side, in the 89th minute according to the Czech association's report, had the ball in the net after a shot by Christophe Kabongo, but the goal was not awarded because of offside. That moment left the match open until the final minutes, although Sky Sports' official live record states that the encounter ended with a 2:1 victory for the Czech Republic after four minutes of stoppage time. Kosovo also received the only yellow card of the match, and according to the official match report Vesel Demaku was booked in the 82nd minute. The final result showed that the Czech Republic made better use of its most important situations, while Kosovo remained dangerous enough until the end to prevent the home win from looking routine.
Debuts and Hugo Sochůrek's record
Apart from the result, the match was also marked by the appearance of Hugo Sochůrek. According to the announcement of the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the Sparta Prague midfielder came on after the break and, a week before his 18th birthday, became the youngest Czech senior international in history. The association states that he thereby surpassed the previous record of Adam Hložek, who debuted in 2020 at the age of 18 years, one month and 10 days. For the Czech national team, that fact has symbolic weight because it shows that, ahead of a major tournament, the thinking is not only about the immediate result but also about the future cycle.
Sochůrek's introduction was part of a broader squad test in which the Czech Republic used the match to test players with less national-team experience. According to the official match report, goalkeeper Lukáš Horníček and midfielders Alexandr Sojka and Pavel Bucha made their debuts from the first minute, while Sochůrek, Denis Višinský and Christophe Kabongo recorded their first appearances after the break. Such a number of new names rarely passes without fluctuations, but the Czech Republic managed to keep the basic structure of its game and the result. At the same time, the match gave the coaching staff enough material to assess players who were on the edge of the final list.
According to a later FAČR announcement, Koubek, after the victory against Kosovo, reduced the World Cup squad to 26 players. Christophe Kabongo, Pavel Bucha and Tomáš Ladra did not make the final nomination, even though Ladra had scored his first national-team goal precisely against Kosovo. The decision showed how demanding final preparations can be for players and staff: a friendly match can bring a good individual impression, but the final list depends on the overall assessment of positions, team balance and the plan for the tournament. According to the association's announcement, after the match Koubek emphasised that the Czech Republic is not travelling to the championship merely to participate, but to try to get through the group.
The match as a final home rehearsal for a bigger challenge
The Czech Republic played against Kosovo at a moment when the main focus of the national team was already directed toward the 2026 World Cup, which is being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. According to the Football Association of the Czech Republic's announcement on the final nomination, the Czech team still has to play a preparatory match against Guatemala in New Jersey on 5 June before the start of the tournament. The association also states that the Czech Republic opens the tournament against South Korea in Guadalajara, and then faces South Africa and Mexico in the group. In that context, the win over Kosovo had the importance of a calm ending to the home part of preparations, but also of a last opportunity to send a positive message in front of the home crowd.
The match itself did not offer a complete picture of the ideal team, because numerous substitutions and an experimental line-up naturally broke up the rhythm. Still, the Czech Republic received several useful answers: Hložek confirmed his attacking value, Horníček made important saves, the debutants received minutes, and the team withstood pressure after Kosovo's late goal. Kosovo, meanwhile, showed that it can punish a drop in concentration and that it has players capable of changing the course of a match by coming off the bench. Emërllahu's goal in the 80th minute was the clearest proof that the visiting team was not satisfied with an honourable defeat.
According to data from the official match report, the match was watched by 11,102 spectators, and it was officiated by Slovak referees led by Michal Očenáš. These details further confirm that this was a seriously organised international test, not a closed training match. epet ARENA at Letná served as a suitable stage for a farewell to the home fans before the trip to the final preparations. Although the 2:1 result shows a tight duel, the course of the encounter reveals that the Czech Republic built the key advantage in the first half-hour and then, despite difficulties in the closing stages, still managed to defend it.
What the victory means for both national teams
For the Czech Republic, this victory is above all confirmation that it is entering the final phase of preparations without a results shock. In football terms, the team showed effective finishing in the first half and enough stability not to lose control after Kosovo reduced the score. At the same time, there remained room for caution: the closing stages showed that changes in the line-up can bring a drop in compactness, and missed chances for a third goal left the match open longer than the home side wanted. Koubek's staff can therefore draw both positive conclusions and clear corrections from the encounter before more difficult competitive tasks.
For Kosovo, defeat in Prague does not have to be assessed exclusively negatively. Franco Foda's team conceded two goals in the first half, but after the break returned to the match and used the space that opened after the Czech substitutions. Emërllahu's appearance, Vojvoda's threat from distance and several runs down the flank showed that Kosovo has enough quality to cause problems for stronger opponents. Still, the match also highlighted the need for a better reaction in the early phase of the encounter, because the Czech Republic turned its first more serious advantage into a scoreline that the visiting side could no longer make up.
In the end, what often decides such preparatory matches proved decisive: better finishing in key moments and the home side's ability to preserve the lead despite pressure. The Czech Republic closed the Prague evening with a 2:1 victory, a result in line with the expectations of the home crowd, but also with a warning that against stronger opponents every fluctuation will be paid for more dearly. Kosovo was left without a draw, but with its closing stages showed that the match was not settled until the referee's final whistle. Precisely for that reason, this encounter has value beyond the result itself: it served as a realistic test of form, squad depth and concentration ahead of the continuation of the national-team calendar.
Sources:
- Football Association of the Czech Republic, FAČR – official match report from the Czech Republic - Kosovo 2:1 match and description of key moments (link)
- Football Association of the Czech Republic, FAČR – official match record, line-ups, scorers, cards, referee and number of spectators (link)
- Football Association of the Czech Republic, FAČR – announcement about Hugo Sochůrek as the youngest Czech international (link)
- Football Association of the Czech Republic, FAČR – final nomination of the Czech Republic for the 2026 World Cup and preparation context (link)
- Sky Sports – live record and confirmation of the Czech Republic - Kosovo 2:1 match result (link)