England missed a late penalty against the Czech Republic to start their European Under 21 Championship with a draw at the Gelredome stadium in Arnhem.

Leroy Lita only managed to hit the right upright after referee had awarded an 88th minute penalty for England when Roman Hubník was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the penalty area. However England have only themselves to blame for as they missed a host of chances throughout the match with no result.

The first half was dreadfully dull with chances few and far between. Both teams failed to take the initiative and it was only in the second half that the game got a breath of fresh air. Kieran Richardson was unable to fire in a header that he would easily have put \away nine times out of ten. As if that was not ironic enough, David Nugent missed an easy chance sometime later.

Hungarian referee Zsolt Szabo also played his part in the frustrating game showing yellow cards to Nugent, Richardson, Gary Cahill and Ashley Young. If England go beyond the group stages as they should, these yellow cards could prove very costly indeed.

Martin Fillo, Jiri Kladrubsky and Tomasz Jirsak all tested Scott Carson in the England goal, but both sides were unable to break the deadlock. In the closing stages Nugent won a spot kick after Roman Hubník was adjudged to have handled the ball in the area.

However Leroy Lita shot narrowly wide and England had to be satisfied with a tame draw.

Coach Stuart Pearce refused to blame Lita for missing the late penalty and said the game could have been won earlier. "For 90 minutes the game was there to be won but we weren't good enough and we have to make sure we play better," he said, adding that there was a need to improve if they wanted to take further part in the tournament.

Czech coach Ladislav Skorpil said both teams had chances to win, but were unable to convert. "It was a quality game, both teams played with good spirit and either could have won," he said.

England were already crippled by the absence of Steven Taylor and David Bentley. However coach Stuart Pearce still had a formidable team to choose from. England and Italy are the favorites in this UEFA European Under-21 Championship, but both teams have had dismal starts. England have drawn their first game, while Italy have been beaten by a strong Serbian team 1-0.

The goalless draw against the Czech Republic means England will have to pull up their socks and win the remaining games against Serbia and Italy if they have to entertain any hopes of progressing further in this competition.

Next up England take on Italy on June 14, while the Czech Republic face Serbia on the same day.