Before the start of this last match day for Group E, none of the four teams had a guaranteed spot in the Second Round, with all four still in contention for advancement.
Czech Republic dominated the attack in the opening stages creating several scoring chances, but it was Italy who scored first on one of their initial opportunities, coming in the 26th minute when Marco Materazzi headed home a Francesco Totti corner.
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More bad news for the Czechs came in stoppage time before the break, as Jan Polak foolishly got his second yellow card on the day after he brought down Totti from behind.
A deflated 10-man Czech Republic never recovered from the sending off, and gave up an 87th minute goal by allowing a two-on-one situation for the easiest of finishes.
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