Czech Republic 2 Latvia 1Latvia's environmentally friendly Prime Minister Indulis Emsis has promised to dye his hair green if the team reach the quarter-finals. It seems unlikely he will require the spray after the Czech Republic fought back to avoid red faces. To the disappointment of neutrals, Karel Bruckner's side recovered from the brink of one of the greatest European Championship upsets of all time.

With less than 20 minutes remaining, the Czechs seemed destined for an embarrassing defeat. Then Milan Baros equalised and the substitute Marek Heinz drilled in an 85th-minute winner which broke Latvian hearts.

On the balance of play it was hard to argue with the outcome. The Czechs dominated and Latvia's goal came on the break from their only shot of the first half. But for three good saves by the former Crystal Palace goalkeeper Aleksandrs Kolinko, a few near misses and wasteful finishing, the Czechs would have secured a less nervy victory.

Latvia were organised and defended bravely, with the Arsenal outcast Igors Stepanovs impressing. In the end they ran out of steam. Kolinko, who had been virtually faultless, erred for the winning goal.

Faced by a defensive unit which Bruckner said had "military discipline", the Czechs frequently floundered, and the chances they created came to nothing. They will have to improve. It is not only their finishing which needs sharpening, with Baros twice wasting openings. The final ball into the box often lacked quality, with Karel Poborsky often guilty before he found his range in the final half-hour. Though Baros scored, his performance was poor. He was caught in possession to trigger the Latvian counter-attack that led to Maris Verpakovskis scoring just before half-time. There was no sign that he and Jan Koller have a true partnership.

In midfield Tomas Rosicky looked below his best form but Pavel Nedved kept probing and prompting. The Juventus player nominally started on the left but roved and was involved in his team's best moments.

The Czechs could have scored several times before the interval, with Kolinko saving from Rosicky and Rene Bolf heading over a good chance. Several times Latvia made important blocks, throwing their bodies in front of shots, with Stepanovs and the former Bristol Rovers midfielder Vitalijs Astafjevs prominent.

Latvia's attempts to get the ball forward quickly frequently ended in failure because of over-ambitious passes. But on a few occasions they made headway down the flanks through Andrejs Rubins or Andrejs Prohorenkovs and flashed balls into the box. In first-half stoppage-time the tactic worked. Stepanovs sent Prohorenkovs down the left and the striker produced a cross which Verpakovskis tapped in.

The Czechs' frustration increased as chances came and went in the second half. After Poborsky had shot into the side netting, the former Manchester United midfielder set up Baros for two opportunities which the striker ought to have done better with. There was a scare when Prohorenkovs shot just wide on the break, and when Kolinko saved from Koller they must have feared the worst. But the breakthrough came.

Baros forced in a cross by Poborsky and then Kolinko came off his line, stopped and in the confusion Heinz scored. The Czechs had avoided the nightmare scenario of having to beat Holland and Germany. Latvia can take pride but their prime minister can probably forget about the hair dye.