Souček returns to West Ham after World Cup injury: 1-1 draw

Czech midfielder Souček played for West Ham for the first time since the ankle injury he suffered at the World Cup. In a second-tier match against QPR he came on as a substitute after the first half, with his side trailing 0-1. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.

Injury and return to action

The player damaged his ankle on 25 June in the match against Mexico, which the Czech team lost 3-0, and the tournament ended for the national side right after the group stage. Because of the injury, Souček missed the summer preparation and the first eight rounds of the second tier, where West Ham were relegated. During the international break, the 31-year-old played 65 minutes in a closed-door friendly against third-tier Wycombe and scored from the penalty spot in a 2-0 win.

The visitors opened the scoring in the 18th minute with a controversial penalty after an intervention by Souček that looked clean on some TV replays. In the second half captain Jarrod Bowen levelled the score, and in stoppage time he had a chance to win the game but failed to convert a penalty. In the table West Ham remain second, one point behind leaders Swansea.

The former Slavia Prague player has been at West Ham since January 2020. In recent days the press reported that the club is negotiating a contract extension with him. After the disappointing World Cup, Souček wrote on Instagram that he would think about his future with the national team, for which he has played 93 matches and scored 17 goals.

Farewell to Miklosko

The match was also a tribute to the late goalkeeper Miklosko. The first commemoration took place before the September League Cup game against Fulham: Souček carried his compatriot’s number one goalkeeper shirt onto the pitch of the Olympic Stadium, stood with it in the centre circle, and then laid it behind the goal.

This time the ceremony was dominated by a giant Miklosko shirt with the number one, which covered the entire centre circle as the players walked out. A wreath was laid by the goalkeeper’s son Martin and club legend Mark Noble. The scoreboard showed a black-and-white photo with the dates of birth and death, and fans in one stand formed the word “LUDO” and two crossed hammers, the club’s symbol, from coloured cards. Players and fans of both teams bade farewell to the former Czech international with long applause.

Miklosko was the first Czech footballer to make a significant mark in England. He played for West Ham from 1990 to 1998, made more than 300 appearances, and later worked there as a goalkeeping coach. He also played for QPR. For Czechoslovakia and later the Czech Republic he played 42 matches between 1982 and 1997.

Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz