Turks win in dramatic fashion to reach Euro semifinals
SLICE BREAD said
17:14 06/20 2008
VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Rustu Recber saved a penalty shot from Mladen Petric on Friday to send Turkey into the European Championship semifinals with a 3-1 shootout win over Croatia after a 1-1 draw through extra time.
Arda Turan, Semih Senturk and Hamit Altintop scored for Turkey in the shootout. Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic also missed their penalties for Croatia. Darijo Srna scored Croatia's only penalty.
After a scoreless 90 minutes of regulation, Ivan Klasnic gave Croatia the lead with a header in 119th minute. Semih Senturk equalized in injury time with a hard shot from inside the area.
Turkey will face Germany in the semifinals on Wednesday in Basel, Switzerland.
Turkey rallied to win its last two matches, beating Switzerland 2-1 and then getting two goals in the final three minutes to beat the Czech Republic and advance to the quarterfinals.
In a low quality match marked by defensive caution at Ernst Happel Stadium, a depleted Turkish team restricted Croatia to few opportunities by pressing in midfield and not allowing its opponent time on the ball.
Croatia striker Ivica Olic hit the crossbar in the 19th minute from close range after a low cross from Modric, but both teams were too often guilty of taking the wrong option in the final third of the field.
Recber, playing for the suspended Volkan Demirel, preserved the scoreline in regulation when he made an amazing one-handed save from a free kick by Srna in the 83rd.
Both teams made their European Championship debut at Euro 1996 and played each other, with Croatia winning 1-0 with current coach Slaven Bilic playing in defense as Turkey finished the tournament in England without scoring a goal.
The only other previous matches between the teams had resulted in draws, 1-1 in 1997 and 2-2 in 2004.
Turkey started brightly with Turan and Tuncay Sanli running at Croatia's compressed defensive alignment, while Altintop drove forward from the center of midfield instead of his listed right back position.
The Turks were missing Emre Gungor (calf), Servet Cetin (hip and knee), Emre Belozoglu (groin), Tumer Metin (groin), while Demirel and defensive midfielder Mehmet Aurelio were both suspended.
Recber replaced Demirel to play his 117th international match, but he failed to come for a through ball in the 11th and only a timely intervention by a defender prevented Srna's pass across goal reaching a teammate.
Eight minutes later, Srna threaded a pass behind the defense and Modric's low, sweeping cross was thundered against the crossbar by Olic from inside the box, and Niko Kranjcar's follow-up header went wide.
Croatia's narrow defensive positioning was switching constantly into a full attacking width, allowing Srna, Olic and Danijel Pranjic to chase after Modric's passes down the flanks and stretch the Turkish defense.
Tuncay, one of eight Turkish players a yellow card away from missing the next round, was booked in the 27th. He was again on the wrong side of the referee's decision 10 minutes later when he was denied a penalty after a collision with defender Josip Simunic in the box.
Tuncay, Altintop and Nihat Kahveci were central to most of Turkey's intermittent scoring threats, but it was defensive midfielder Mehmet Topal who hit a 35-meter (yard) drive that only just faded across Stipe Pletikosa's goal in the 38th.
Turan was booked in the 48th to also be ruled out of the next gam, before Turkey almost gave up a goal when Gokhan Zan's backheader was intercepted by Olic and his headed centering ball was hacked away near the line.
A neat turn from Modric and slide pass put Kranjcar in on goal in the 57th, but he had no backlift on his shot and Recber saved down low in one of the few on-target attempts.
Bilic brought on Petric to replace Kranjcar for more attacking thrust, while the introduction of Turkey substitutes Ugur Boral and Senturk was to shore up midfield positions.
In the 70th, Rakitic swapped passes with Olic to surge into the area before blasting over the bar, and soon after Olic rose high to direct a header just wide of Recber and the post.
Both teams have reached the quarterfinals once before: Croatia in 1996 and Turkey four years later in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Lineups:
Croatia: Stipe Pletikosa, Vedran Corluka, Josip Simunic, Robert Kovac, Danijel Pranjic, Darijo Srna, Niko Kovac, Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic, Niko Kranjcar (Mladen Petric, 64), Ivica Olic.
After a scoreless 90 minutes of regulation, Ivan Klasnic gave Croatia the lead with a header in 119th minute. Semih Senturk equalized in injury time with a hard shot from inside the area.
Turkey will face Germany in the semifinals on Wednesday in Basel, Switzerland.
Turkey rallied to win its last two matches, beating Switzerland 2-1 and then getting two goals in the final three minutes to beat the Czech Republic and advance to the quarterfinals.
In a low quality match marked by defensive caution at Ernst Happel Stadium, a depleted Turkish team restricted Croatia to few opportunities by pressing in midfield and not allowing its opponent time on the ball.
Croatia striker Ivica Olic hit the crossbar in the 19th minute from close range after a low cross from Modric, but both teams were too often guilty of taking the wrong option in the final third of the field.
Recber, playing for the suspended Volkan Demirel, preserved the scoreline in regulation when he made an amazing one-handed save from a free kick by Srna in the 83rd.
Both teams made their European Championship debut at Euro 1996 and played each other, with Croatia winning 1-0 with current coach Slaven Bilic playing in defense as Turkey finished the tournament in England without scoring a goal.
The only other previous matches between the teams had resulted in draws, 1-1 in 1997 and 2-2 in 2004.
Turkey started brightly with Turan and Tuncay Sanli running at Croatia's compressed defensive alignment, while Altintop drove forward from the center of midfield instead of his listed right back position.
The Turks were missing Emre Gungor (calf), Servet Cetin (hip and knee), Emre Belozoglu (groin), Tumer Metin (groin), while Demirel and defensive midfielder Mehmet Aurelio were both suspended.
Recber replaced Demirel to play his 117th international match, but he failed to come for a through ball in the 11th and only a timely intervention by a defender prevented Srna's pass across goal reaching a teammate.
Eight minutes later, Srna threaded a pass behind the defense and Modric's low, sweeping cross was thundered against the crossbar by Olic from inside the box, and Niko Kranjcar's follow-up header went wide.
Croatia's narrow defensive positioning was switching constantly into a full attacking width, allowing Srna, Olic and Danijel Pranjic to chase after Modric's passes down the flanks and stretch the Turkish defense.
Tuncay, one of eight Turkish players a yellow card away from missing the next round, was booked in the 27th. He was again on the wrong side of the referee's decision 10 minutes later when he was denied a penalty after a collision with defender Josip Simunic in the box.
Tuncay, Altintop and Nihat Kahveci were central to most of Turkey's intermittent scoring threats, but it was defensive midfielder Mehmet Topal who hit a 35-meter (yard) drive that only just faded across Stipe Pletikosa's goal in the 38th.
Turan was booked in the 48th to also be ruled out of the next gam, before Turkey almost gave up a goal when Gokhan Zan's backheader was intercepted by Olic and his headed centering ball was hacked away near the line.
A neat turn from Modric and slide pass put Kranjcar in on goal in the 57th, but he had no backlift on his shot and Recber saved down low in one of the few on-target attempts.
Bilic brought on Petric to replace Kranjcar for more attacking thrust, while the introduction of Turkey substitutes Ugur Boral and Senturk was to shore up midfield positions.
In the 70th, Rakitic swapped passes with Olic to surge into the area before blasting over the bar, and soon after Olic rose high to direct a header just wide of Recber and the post.
Both teams have reached the quarterfinals once before: Croatia in 1996 and Turkey four years later in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Lineups:
Croatia: Stipe Pletikosa, Vedran Corluka, Josip Simunic, Robert Kovac, Danijel Pranjic, Darijo Srna, Niko Kovac, Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic, Niko Kranjcar (Mladen Petric, 64), Ivica Olic.
Turkey: Rustu Recber, Hamit Altintop, Gokhan Zan, Emre Asik, Hakan Balta, Mehmet Topal (Semih Senturk, 76), Sabri Sarioglu, Tuncay Sanli, Arda Turan, Kazim Kazim (Ugur Boral, 61), Nihat Kahveci.