Czechs ruin Fernando Santos' debut and defeat Poland 3:1

The Czechs ruined the debut of Poland manager Fernando Santos by netting their first goal just 27 seconds after kickoff in the Group E encounter, with Ladislav Krejci out-jumping a Polish defender to head home Vladimir Coufal's long throw in.

Two players making their senior team debut combined to double the lead, with Tomas Cvancara firing in David Jurasek's cross from the left flank past Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny.

The visitors controlled possession for large spells following their torrid start but the Czechs effectively wrapped up the win in the 64th minute when Jan Kuchta tapped in Alex Kral's low cross. Damian Szymański pulled a goal back for Poland in the 87th minute.

"We started very well and we thought we had to go on like that and not to slow down because Poland have big quality," Cvancara told Czech Television.

"We played a very good game tonight."

The Czechs -- who found their scoring touch without injured Bayer Leverkusen striker Patrik Schick -- travel to Moldova on Monday while the Poles host Albania in Group E.