West Ham: Czech media blast Tomas Soucek after 'great joy' ruined vs South Korea

West Ham star Tomas Soucek had a familiar feeling after Czech Republic's 2-1 loss to South Korea.

The 31-year-old midfielder started his nation's World Cup opener in the early hours of Friday motning, but it ended in disappointment.

Wolves ace Ladislav Krejci scored the opener but the Asian country fought back through Hwang In-beom and Oh Hyeon-gyu.

Soucek thought he had put his side into the lead, but his header was ruled offside and chalked off.

He will have wanted to start the tournament well, and put the grave situation in East London behind him, but that was not the case.

The media in his home country were not very forgiving when assessing his performance in Mexico.

How did Czech media react to West Ham star Tomas Soucek's performance vs South Korea?

It is safe to say that the Hammers ace did not impress minus his potential goal contribution that was ruled out.

That was reflected in the media reaction in the Czech Republic, as Sport.cz handed him a rating of just three.

They said: "He started a goal helicopter, but a small offside spoiled his great joy.

"He chose safe passes and solutions. In the first half, he did not take advantage of the opportunity after the set piece."

iSport.cz handed him a slightly better rating of four, saying: "He could have scored twice, but failed to do so once. He was surprised after Sojko’s corner, and his goal was then ruled offside.

"It was not an optimal performance from him, the movement of the opponent’s midfielders gave him problems. He was also quite inaccurate in the first half."

Why West Ham need Soucek to have a good World Cup

The Irons need the veteran midfielder to have a good tournament, so that he comes back to E20 with confidence.

He will likely be a starter in the Championship, as the London Stadium side try to win promotion back to the Premier League.

If it is all doom and gloom surrounding him when he returns, then he may start the season in poor form, which will not be good for Nuno Espirito Santo's side.

Hopefully, he can bounce back in the remaining fixtures against South Africa and Mexico, and get himself in a better mood for he when the new season starts.

A healthy, motivated Soucek could be a difference maker in the second tier, with his towering presence and dangerous nature from set-pieces probably helping out massively.

There are question marks over his contract, which expires in 2027, but they can wait for now, the main focus is on bringing the club back to where they belong.

Anything else can be sorted out after that goal is achieved, and if it is not, then an exit makes sense for all parties.