Tomas Rosicky.

USA 0-3 Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic faced the US in what promised to be a tightly contested match. The US had a decent qualifying run and had a balanced team on paper. While they did not have the kind of flair players that the Czechs possessed in their ranks, they were known for their strength, determination, grit and teamwork.

They showed neither of the above as the Czechs steamrolled them in what was easily the best performance by any team yet. Apart from Reyna hitting the post in the first half, the US did not live up to even the outside chance that many observers, including myself, had given them. They had no reply to the Czechs defensive organization, the fluidity and creativity in their midfield, and the finishing provided up front by the likes of Koller and Rosicky.

The Czechs combined strength and organization with flair and pace. Add to that the fact that they possess one of the best goalkeepers in the world in Cech, and you have a team that has the potential to go all the way. They will be seriously hit by a torn hamstring suffered by Koller, meaning both their main strikers (Baros being the other) are out for the next match.

Coming to our newboy, Tomas Rosicky. At Dortmund, he’d been called the Little Mozart. Today, we caught a glimpse of why he’s rated so highly. In the first half, with the Czechs leading 1-0 thanks to Koller’s 5th minute opener, he controlled a wayward ball that had been headed out of the penalty area. He let the ball bounce once and then unleashed a scorcher that ended up in the far corner of the net. The Czech fans were roaring with delight and even on the telly, you could hear them chanting “Ro-sit-sky! Ro-sit-sky!”

In the second half, he latched onto a brilliant throughball by Nedved (who had dominated midfield play throughout the match), and ran through the shoddy US defence. He then lifted the ball over the onrushing Casey Keller with the outside of his boot (with consummate ease) to extend his team’s advantage to 3 goals.

This truly was a star performance by Rosicky, and I echo all gooners when I hope that this is merely the start of many great things to come from this incredibly talented footballer. I still can’t get over the fact that we got him for just around 7 million pounds! It was widely speculated that he’d replace the Villarreal-bound Robert Pires, and on today’s evidence, he’s just the kind of player to replace SuperBob.

That’s it for today’s GunnerWatch. Tomorrow, the French face off against the Swiss. Three Arsenal players will be on display in that fixture. The king himself, Thierry Henry, for the French, and our budding defenders Phil Senderos and Johan Djourou for the Swiss. New recruit, Emmanuel Adebayor, will feature for tiny African newcomers, Togo. Adebayor was Togo’s top scorer during their qualification campaign. And finally, Gilberto might make an appearance for Brazil, though most expect Emerson to start in the holding role. More on how they fare after tomorrow’s matches.