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The Extraliga semi-final playoffs are now under way, and Slavia and Zlin have set the pace with convincing victories. In football, Liberec and Teplice struggle against lower-league opposition in the Czech FA cup, while amateur player Radek Vana wins a Fair Play award for exposing corruption in Czech football.

For the first time in the history of the ice hockey Extraliga the team which won the league, Pardubice, has been beaten in the first round of the playoffs. What's more they were beaten by Pilsen, who only made the playoffs by the skin of their teeth. In football, Sparta Prague beat Slavia 2:0 in a dramatic game at Strahov. And Czech cross country skier Katerina Neummanova has been looking back on an "amazing" season.

Sparta Prague have been knocked out of the Champions League by AC Milan, though not without giving the holders a bit of a fright. Meanwhile, Sparta manager Kotra is under pressure as a crucial derby against Slavia approaches. In the ice hockey Extraliga the quarter-finals are close to being decided, while NHL star Petr Nedved has scored his first goal for new club Edmonton. And young Czech tennis player Iveta Benesova has been enjoying her first ever WTA tournament win.

In this edition of Sports News: Czech success at the Indoor World Championships in Hungary, including Roman Sebrle's record-setting win in the heptathlon; more woe for football's slumping Sparta Prague in the Czech premier division; and, the latest results in the first round of the hockey play-offs including big wins by Pilsen and Vitkovice.

Teplice beat last year's finalists Celtic in the UEFA Cup on Wednesday night, but still went down 3:1 on aggregate; both club's managers give their verdict on the game. In the Czech football league, Liberec's Dosek scored a hat-trick against Zlin, while Ostrava have extended their lead at the top of the table. Pardubice are looking good in the ice hockey Extraliga playoffs and Czech star Petr Nedved has left the New York Rangers after six years at the club.

Czech football league leaders Banik Ostrava have been beaten by bottom of the table Blsany, while defending champions Sparta slipped up at Ceske Budejovice, allowing a resurgent Slavia to go second. Milan Baros has returned from injury in style with a goal in his first league game, while his Czech international team-mate Tomas Rosicky is out with a broken arm. In ice hockey, Pilsen whupped Kladno to take the last place in the playoffs and Czech star Robert Lang has gotten off to a great start at new club Detroit.

Czech teams had mixed fortunes in European football action this week, with Sparta Prague holding AC Milan to a 0:0 draw in the Champions League and Teplice taking a 3:0 battering from Celtic in Glasgow. The last round of the ice hockey Extraliga is promising to be dramatic, with Pilsen and Kladno going head to head for the final playoffs place. And cross country skier Martin Koukal has been in inconsistent form since returning from injury.

Cross country skier Katerina Neummanova has won yet another World Cup race, her fourth in seven starts. Lukas Bauer was less fortunate in Sweden on Saturday, when instead of making for the finishing line he went the wrong way! Sparta Prague and Teplice could only manage 0:0 draws in the Czech football league at the weekend, poor preparation for their mid-week European ties. The Czech ice hockey Extraliga is hotting up as the play-offs approach, and some big stars have expressed interest in playing for the Czech Republic at the World Championships

The Czech Republic have extended their unbeaten run to 20 games, with a draw in a friendly against Italy on Wednesday. The Czechs had to come from behind four minutes from full-time, though coach Brueckner says they could have won. With his 91st international appearance Karel Poborsky has set a new Czech caps record. Meanwhile, Pavel Nedved has - surprise, surprise - been named Czech Footballer of the Year. And the Ice Hockey World Championships will, after all, be shown live on Czech Television.

Ostrava Banik has opened the spring football schedule with 2-0 victory over Liberec, while Sparta Prague has kept pace by beating a feisty Opava side; ice hockey's Pilsen are still fighting to retain a play-off berth; Bobby Holik's 1000th game in the NHL was marred by a 6-2 loss; and skiing star Katerina Neumannova had to pull out of a world cup event after her trainer opted for the wrong skis.