The 25-year-old Jablonec striker, who wore former captain Pavel Nedvěd's jersey, No. 11, almost single-handedly won the Czech Republic's opening Euro 2008 qualifier against Wales in Teplice, north Bohemia, Sept. 2.

Coming off the bench with only 15 minutes remaining, and the game still goalless, Lafata scored with his first touch, heading home Libor Sionko's pass.

The euphoria soon disappeared after the tough Welshmen hit back and caused Czech defender Martin Jiránek to score an own goal in the 85th minute.

But, in the final minute, Lafata booted in another cross by Sionko, securing the team a 2–1 win.

"This was like a fairy tale," Lafata said after the game. "I couldn't hope for something like this in the rosiest dream."

With the retirement of veteran players Nedvěd and Karel Poborský and four regular members of the lineup out with injuries, Lafata was asked to join the team only five days before the game against Wales.

Lafata, who has played for the country's junior national teams, admitted that he didn't think he would get a chance to play.

"In fact, I had doubts whether I would make it to be a substitute or whether I'd end up sitting in the stands," he said.

Lafata replaced another newcomer to the Czech team, Mladá Boleslav striker Marek Kulič.

Kulič had a strong performance and kept the Welsh defense busy for 75 minutes.

"The performances of our newcomers indicated that we do not need to worry about the future and that there will be enough high-quality players on our team after past leaders have retired," said defender David Rozehnal.

The game against Wales started a new era for the team. After the failure at the World Cup in Germany in June, the team is going through a transitional period, with many older players expected to leave.

One of the brightest stars, Chelsea goalie Petr Čech, said the squad proved its confidence and determination against Wales.

"We were ready to battle for the win until the last minute, and not even a late own goal changed anything about that," he said.

Head coach Karel Brückner said the game against Wales showed some positives and negatives. Players were unable to score on promising chances, but Brückner praised the team's determination to fight for victory until the final moments.

"Not everything was perfect, but the players showed they are ready to work hard, and this is essential," Brückner said. "We'll be getting stronger game by game."