Penalty woe costs Under-21s

Coach Stuart Pearce can take heart from drawing all his opening games with England as a player at major tournaments and reaching the next stage twice.

Pearce, no stranger to penalty misery, had put his players through a practice shoot-out last week after the 5-0 friendly win over Slovakia, but Lita failed to score from the spot after netting at Carrow Road.

David Nugent and Kieran Richardson missed England's best chances in open play of the Group B opener in Arnhem, and a first defeat since 2005 looked possible when the Czechs hit the woodwork and created chances on the break.

With seniors boss Steve McClaren believed to be watching on in the stands, Pearce ended up playing with two strikers but Lita could not take his opportunity.

Despite losing players to injury and being considered rank outsiders, the Czechs have pedigree in the tournament after winning in 2002 when Petr Cech was the hero in goal.

England settled into their 4-5-1 formation that was deployed by Peter Taylor during qualification, and kept by Pearce for the finals when Taylor concentrated on club matters at Crystal Palace.

Mark Noble was brought on for Tom Huddlestone, with England getting their chance for the winner from the penalty spot with three minutes remaining.

Roman Hubnik handled in the area, but Lita flashed wide from 12 yards.

Pearce knows Italy and Serbia over the next week are likely to offer a tougher challenge than the Czechs.