Newcastle United star gets big surprise 'two hours before' competitive international debut
Lukas Hornicek made his competitive debut for Czechia in their UEFA Nations League defeat against Croatia.
Newcastle United goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek is hoping he has earned a chance to continue impressing at international level after making his first competitive start for Czechia in a 2-1 defeat against Croatia on Saturday night.
The former Braga stopper joined the Magpies during a hectic summer transfer window and has quickly established himself as first-choice goalkeeper under new head coach Matthias Jaissle. After making eight appearances as an unused substitute and earning a start in a friendly win against Kosovo prior to his move to Tyneside, Hornicek was finally handed a competitive debut in a UEFA Nations League meeting with a Croatia side containing the likes of Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol and AC Milan midfielder Luka Modric.
Hornicek was unable to mark his landmark appearance with a win as Modric and former Chelsea midfielder Marco Pasalic netted either side of an equaliser from Adam Karabec as Croatia earned a 2-1 victory at the Eden Arena - but the Magpies star is hopeful his performance will have done enough to persuade head coach Santi Denia to hand him further opportunities.
The Czech media quoted the Magpies keeper as saying: "I found out I was in goal two hours before the match. The coach kept us waiting until the last moment. We knew the choice could fall on any of us. It turned out well for me. Hopefully my performance convinced the coach to give me more chances."
‘I had a feeling’
Hornicek made a number of eye-catching saves during the game - but there was nothing he could do to prevent Real Madrid legend and former Newcastle transfer target Modric from firing the visitors in front with a deflected effort just two minutes into the second-half.
The United stopper bemoaned his luck as Modric’s effort took a heavy touch off a defender before finding its way beyond his grasp - but also took time to praise the former Balon D’or winner as a player that made ‘the greatest difference’ during the game.
He said: "I had a feeling that if it hadn't have been deflected that I could have got a hand to it. But of course he is such a good player who made the greatest difference today.”
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