Aston Villa's Milan Baros believes the Czech Republic left the World Cup with their heads held up high despite a record of just one win and two defeats in the first round.
Thursday's 2-0 defeat against Italy brought to an end their hopes of progressing to the second stage of the competition.
After beating United States 3-0 in their opening fixture, the Czechs, second in the FIFA world rankings, seemed certain to qualify from their group but they surprisingly lost against Ghana.
"We have to be proud of our game and we shouldn't be disappointed," Baros told PA Sport.
"Football is like this, we have to keep our chin up and concentrate on our next task which is the European qualifying round."
Baros, who was Euro 2004 top scorer, missed his national team's opening two games after sustaining a foot injury prior to the tournament.
He played 67 minutes against the Italians but admitted he has yet to fully recover.
"I got some injections for my foot," he said.
"Although I wasn't 100%, I could play and I really wanted to play.
"I wanted to help my team and try to do my best but unfortunately it wasn't to be."
The 24-year-old forward believed Jan Polak's sending-off just before half-time was a big blow for them.
"It wasn't easy to play against a team like Italy," said Baros.
"We could have done better but if you look at the circumstances, playing against the Italians with 10 men proved too big a task for us.
"Italy deserved to win and we have to congratulate them because they played a smart game."
Baros believes his team also did not have luck on their side throughout the tournament.
Attacking duo Baros and Jan Koller missed the clash against Ghana with injuries while Vratislav Lokvenc and Tomas Ujfalusi were unable to play against the Azzurri through suspension.
"We don't have a big squad like England or Brazil," said Baros.
"We have a small squad and if some players are injured or suspended then it's very difficult to replace them.
"Under different circumstances we should have progressed through to the next stage."
