TENS of thousands of Czechs converged on Wenceslas Square last night to celebrate their country reaching the Euro 96 final.

Minutes after the Czechs beat France 6-5 in a semi final penalty shoot out, Prague's streets flooded with flag waving and horn blowing fans in a scene reminiscent of 1989's "Velvet Revolution".

Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus and his coalition partners put sport before affairs of state to watch the Czech victory.

Klaus arrived half an hour late for talks, explaining he had to send a congratulatory telegram to the team.