Schick was just ‘imitating’ Diaz

Prague – Czech striker Patrik Schick said his celebration after he scored a penalty in the 1-1 draw against Croatia at Euro 2020 was a tribute to his favourite MMA fighter.

The Bayer Leverkusen forward put the Czechs ahead on 37 minutes when Dejan Lovren caught him in the face with an elbow and the referee pointed to the spot after consulting VAR.

Ivan Perisic then scored early into the second half of Friday’s game to secure Croatia their first point of the tournament.

With tampons up his bloodied nose and blood smears on his face, Schick ran to a TV camera in the corner of the pitch, showing his flexed biceps.

“I wanted to look like Nate Diaz, who is usually covered with blood after each fight. I was just imitating him,” Schick said.

Diaz is an American mixed martial arts fighter signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Schick said he had no doubt about the penalty, while Lovren told Croatian media he did not see the Czech striker when his elbow caught him.

“It was a 100% penalty,” Schick insisted.

“Saying he did not see me is like jumping the no-entry sign when you’re driving and then telling the police you didn’t see it,” he added. –