A plane door defect involving an inflated evacuation slide stopped the Czech Republic on their way to a Euro 2020 knockout game against the Netherlands in Budapest, the team said on Saturday.

The Czechs, who qualified as the third best team in Group D, are facing Group C winners the Netherlands at the Puskas Arena in a last-16 tie on Sunday evening. The players were already sitting on the special plane on Saturday morning, but they had to get off over the defect.

“I have experienced delayed flights, postponed flights, even cancelled flights because of the coronavirus,” tweeted midfielder Alex Kral.

“But this is my first flight that didn’t happen because of an evacuation slide inflated by mistake,” said the Spartak Moscow player.

He added photos of the slide from inside and outside the plane, complete with a “slidesandjumpingcastles” hashtag.

National team spokesman Petr Sedivy said later the flight was “not cancelled over an evacuation slide inflated BY MISTAKE but over technical problems with the plane door”.

“The Czech national football team will fly to Budapest in the afternoon,” Sedivy added.

Based in Prague after having to move its base camp from Edinburgh over strict coronavirus rules in Scotland, the team held the official training session at a local stadium. Since the Czech Republic emerged as an independent state in 1993, its national team has won five games and lost three against the Dutch, on top of three draws.

Before that, Czechoslovakia memorably beat the Netherlands on the way to their only European Championship title in Belgrade in 1976, having edged Johan Cruyff and company 3-1 after extra time in the semi-final.

Czechoslovakia were not there to stop the Dutch when they won the 1988 title in West Germany.

But Czech fans cherish above all the memory of an epic battle at Euro 2004 in Portugal, won by the Czechs who came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2.

“People still remember that one best,” says Vladimir Smicer, the former Lens and Liverpool winger, who scored the decider after a selfless pass from Karel Poborsky.

The winners of Sunday’s game will face either Wales or Denmark in the quarter-finals on July 3.

Depay has a chance to shine for the Netherlands on big stage: Meanwhile, the European Championship is finally giving Memphis Depay the chance to shine on the big stage.

The Netherlands forward has two goals and two assists heading into Sunday’s match against the Czech Republic in the round of 16. He has scored seven goals in eight games in 2021 and, at 27, he’s entering his peak years.

Depay’s mercurial ability played a large part in the team’s three wins in the group stage at Euro 2020, with the soon-to-be Barcelona forward scoring or creating half of the eight goals.

“He showed how important he is for us. He’s a player with special qualities,” Netherlands defender Daley Blind said.

“He can do magical things with the ball.”

Netherlands assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy, a superb finisher himself, said Depay has blossomed into a leader.

But it wasn’t always that way for Depay.

When he joined Manchester United six years ago, it was amid much hype. He was given the iconic No. 7 jersey worn by George Best, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Best and Cantona were among the most skillful players ever to grace United, Beckham one of the club’s finest midfielders. Ronaldo, a dazzling winger with lightning-fast feet, is now the co-record holder for most goals overall in a men’s national team with 109. Ronaldo is also the leading scorer at Euro 2020 with five goals and he is the competition’s overall leader with 14.

The weight of expectation at United crushed Depay, who scored only seven goals in 53 games.

He left in January 2017 to revive his career with seven-time French champion Lyon, the same year he started pursuing another passion as a hip-hop artist. Depay netted 76 goals in 178 games for Lyon, including a spectacular turn and lob from the halfway line.

Agencies