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Turkey lived up to their billing as comeback kings with a 3-1 penalty shoot-out win over Croatia here on Friday to put them into the Euro 2008 semi-finals. The spot-kick lottery was called for after the sides were inseparable at 1-1 after extra-time, both of those goals coming in the dying minutes of what up to then had been a forgettable affair.
Ivan Klasnic put Croatia into a 119th minute lead - for his second in successive matches - only for Turkey to level in the first minute of time added on thanks to substitute Semih Senturk.
Croatia then fell apart, with Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic shooting wide and Mladen Petric having his spot-kick saved by Turkey keeper Rustu Recber, who turned from villain to hero having made a terrible mistake to gift the Croats their goal.
Turkey, making their first appearance in the semi-finals, face Germany in Basel on Wednesday.
Turkish fans couldn't restrain themselves as they fired celebratory shots into the air despite pleas from Turkey coach Fatih Terim not to after their team reached the Euro 2008 semi-finals for the first time.
"It is important not to transform victory into tragedy," Terim, otherwise known as 'The Emperor', had said after two people including a 10-year-old girl were wounded by bullets following their remarkable 3-2 group win over the Czechs, which saw them come back from 2-0 down.
Terim, who was in charge when Turkey lost 1-0 to Croatia in Euro 96 in the group stages, was ecstatic.
"What has happened to us is unique in our history," said Terim, who was not in charge when Turkey made the 2002 World Cup semi-finals.
"We have become one of the great footballing nations. Our people can rejoice. And if our people are proud of us then we are proud of them," added Terim, whose nickname 'The Emperor' is taking on a realistic hue.
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| Turkish defender Sabri Sarioglu(L) fights for the ball with Croatian forward Ivica Olic during their Euro 2008 Championships quarter-final football match in Vienna. Turkey won 3-1 on penalty kicks after the two teams were tied 1-1 after extra time. |
His Croat counterpart Slaven Bilic was remarkably calm after seeing his dreams dashed in a matter of seconds.
"It's incredible but that is why football is the most beautiful sport in the world," said the 39-year-old, who had to mask his own emotions at the end of the match to console his distraught players.
"I thought that it was finished, that we had won and then in a flash this fantastic goal by Semih.
"After that, it was the drama of penalties. Oh well life goes on. Tomorrow is another day. We will now get back into the groove in the World Cup qualifiers."
After Germany's drama-laden first quarter final win over Portugal the night before, this second quarter-final was a big let down, with chances as rare as empty seats in the Ernst Happel stadium.
Bilic fielded the same team that defeated Germany in the group stages, with only two players Danijel Panijec and Rakitic surviving from the side that lined up against Poland on Monday.
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| Croatian midfielder Luka Modric reacts after missing his penalty against Turkey kick during their Euro 2008 Championships quarter-final football match in Vienna. Turkey reached the Euro 2008 semi-finals after beating Croatia 3-1 on penalties after the match had finished 1-1 after extra-time. |
Turkey turned up at the Ernst Happel stadium with half a dozen of their first team missing from injury or suspension.
Veteran keepr Rustu came in for Volkan Demirel, sent off against the Czech Republic, and Terim also handed a start to London-born Kazim Kazim, who led the attack with Nihat Kahveci.
With so many absentees another headache for Terim was that eight of his players were one booking away from missing the semi-final, should they make it.
Croatia will never know how they didn't go into the lead in the 18th minute, Ivica Olic being guilty of a criminal miss.
Darijo Srna set up the move laying the ball on to Modric who raced down the right of the box to cross for Olic only for the Hamburg striker's shot to hit the crossbar from only a couple of metres directly in front of goal .
To add insult to injury Niko Kranjcar missed with his header from the rebound.
Tottenham signing Modric summed up the mood of frustration, banging the Austrian turf repeatedly with his fist in frustration.
The Croats it was who looked more dangerous in the rare moments they were able to break the Turkish defence, with Rustu quick to deal with a Kranjcar effort in the 58th minute.
The match had a goal from Olic shortly after but it was disallowed for offside.
Terim then made his first substitution, taking off the ineffective Kazim Kazim for Ugur Boral, and Bilic followed, bringing off Kranjcar for Petric.
Minutes later Rakitic squandered Croatia's second gilt-edged chance, his close range shot, after being set up by Olic, flying high over Rustu's bar.
With quarter of an hour left of normal time Terim switched midfielder Mehmet Topal for Fenerbahce striker Senturk in search of that elusive goal.
On 84 minutes, as Croatia maintained their almost constant pressure, Rustu earned his wages and some when only his outstretched hands edged out Srna's finely struck 20m freekick.
Extra time produced the badly needed fireworks, but only in the dying minutes.
Croatia thought they'd grabbed the winner when Klasnic struck but unbelievably after such a turgid affair Turkey hit back with Senturk equalising with a great shot into the top left hand corner to force the spot kicks.
The win came at a price to Turkey who will be missing Tuncay Sanli, Arda Turan and Emre Asik due to suspension after this trio picked up their second yellow cards of the competition while Nihat went off during extra-time clutching his groin.
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| Italy's defender Christian Panucci, seen here addressing a press conference in Oberwaltersdorf, Austria, near Vienna on June 20, 2008, said France coach Raymond Domenech, who criticised the referee after his side's loss to the Italians, "always has excuses". |
Italian defender Christian Panucci on Friday said France coach Raymond Domenech, who criticised the referee after his side's loss to the Italians, "always has excuses".
Domenech was furious that Italy were awarded a penalty and the French had Eric Abidal sent off in the process as they slid to a a 2-0 defeat which saw Italy win their re-run of the World Cup final.
But Panucci told a press conference in Baden the French handler's complaints were only par for the Domenech course.
"It's best not to comment on these kinds of declarations. But if I am forced to I'd say he was watching another match or didn't get a good view" of what happened.
"He always has excuses, going back to the time when he lost the Euro youth tournament to us in 1994. It's true, though, that the French were unlucky to lose (Franck) Ribery," who went off injured after just nine minutes.
But Panucci concluded that the French had to recognise that "Italy simply played a great match."
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| Netherlands players chat during a training session in Basel. Russian striker Andrei Arshavin has warned Marco van Basten's Holland to expect his side's attacking machine to hit top gear for Saturday's Euro 2008 quarter-final. |
Russian striker Andrei Arshavin has warned Marco van Basten's Holland to expect his side's attacking machine to hit top gear for Saturday's Euro 2008 quarter-final.
The 27-year-old forward was the man-of-the-match as Russia booked a last eight berth - to set up a tantalising reunion between Russia's Dutch coach Guus Hiddink and his compatriots in what is in effect a rematch of the 1988 final between the Dutch and the then Soviet Union - with a 2-0 win over Sweden in Innsbruck on Wednesday night to clinch second place in Group D behind Spain.
The Zenit St Petersburg star says his side squandered numerous chances against the Swedes - just as they did in the 1-0 win against Greece - and insists the Dutch could feel the full force of their goalscoring fire-power at St. Jakob-Park on Saturday.
"I don't think we needed to score that many goals in the Swedish game," said Arshavin.
"We need to save them for the next games and I hope we will score a few against the Dutch."
Having sat out Russia's first two Euro 2008 matches through suspension, Arshavin showed what his side had been missing as he dominated Sweden.
He provided the movement which led to Roman Pavlyuchenko's 24th-minute opener and then turned goal-scorer himself on 50 minutes to set up the meeting with van Basten's powerful Dutch team.
And for Russia's former Holland coach Guus Hiddink, Saturday's game promises to be a special occasion.
"Why not," replied Hiddink to a question regarding whether his side could beat the Dutch.
"The only thing that worries me, is that the Dutch will have had five days more rest than us (as most of the first team missed the Romania clash).
"That is not insignificant.
"It will be a special match for me. I know everybody there, the coach, the players.
"What really gives me pleasure is two footballing sides taking each other on. It will be a great match.
"It is a very special date for me," added the 61-year-old, who guided the Dutch to the 1998 World Cup semi-finals where they lost to Brazil in a penalty shootout.
But Arshavin says Russia will have their work cut out against "the best side" at Euro 2008.
"If we didn't have to play the Netherlands, we would feel much better, because I think they are the best side here," he said.
"But fate has it that we have to play the strongest team in the tournament in the last eight.
"I hope we will be able to match them."
The Dutch, who have hammered both World Cup finalists Italy (3-0) and France (4-1), on the way to the quarter-finals have been setting the Euro 2008 agenda with some beautiful attacking football.
Van Basten believes his side can go on emulate the squad he inspired to victory in the 1988 European Championships, scoring one of the greatest goals the championships or indeed any finals has ever witnessed in the final against the Soviets.
"The atmosphere is good. The players are working well together and having a good time," said the former AC Milan ace.
"If we continue playing like this I don't know where exactly we are going to end up but I hope it is going to take a long time," van Basten said.
Van Basten, who is stepping down after the tournament to take over at one of his former clubs Ajax, said the group matches had been a joy to behold but now they were getting to the business end of things where one mistake could be the end of the dream.
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| A Dutch fan is pictured selling supporters paraphernalia in Basel. Russian striker Andrei Arshavin has warned Marco van Basten's Holland to expect his side's attacking machine to hit top gear for Saturday's Euro 2008 quarter-final. |
"We have made a great start. But Saturday is another match altogether and we have to start again from zero," said van Basten.
Another incentive for them to beat Russia will be as a mark of respect for defender Khalid Boulahrouz who has declared himself fit to play Saturday's game despite the death of his prematurely-born baby daughter during the week.
"I understand that it is really hard for Khalid and we will have to support him as best we can," said van Basten.
"Still, our focus has to be on Russia and that is what Khalid also wants."
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The traditional swapping of shirts afterwards was not an option as the six-a-side teams wore nothing but thongs, with the national colours painted on to their bare skin.
The match was organised by a chat room website.
Austria were delighted with a victory they hoped would be a morale-booster for their male counterparts but was not without its serious side.
"I hope our men will take heart from that tomorrow. We played pretty hard, we even had some injuries, like I for example broke my toe nail," 29-year-old bank employee Doris Fastenmeir told Reuters.
"I was supposed to hold the balls but I really have no idea how to do that," said German keeper Jana Bach.
"Maybe it is because I am not all that much into soccer. I am more into shoes to be honest."
The verdict of the onlookers?
"They might have to work on their technique a bit but it was definitely a rather pleasant game to watch and a very nice version of the 'beautiful game'," said Rolf Hansen from Berlin.
