European Football Cup 2008’s Weblog

Two late Nihat Kahveci strikes booked ten-man Turkey a place in the quarter-finals of UEFA EURO 2008™ in an exhilarating finish to their Group A match against Czech Republic in Geneva.

Gripping finale
Jan Koller gave the Czechs a 34th-minute advantage with a thumping header before Jaroslav Plašil turned in Libor Sionko’s cross to double their lead two minutes past the hour. Turkey gave themselves a fighting chance thanks to Arda Turan’s low effort with 15 minutes left and Nihat capitalised on a Petr Čech error to level with three minutes left. With a penalty shoot-out looming Nihat galloped clear to send Turkey through with a spectacular finish, although there was still time for Volkan Demirel to be sent off for shoving Koller, Tuncay Şanlı taking over in goal as Turkey held on in a frantic finale to set up a quarter-final against Croatia.

Koller in
The two teams kicked off with identical records and a draw would have meant a quarter-final berth being decided by penalties, an outcome both coaches were anxious to avoid. Karel Brückner opted to start with Koller up front, and his height ensured the Czechs had the better of the opening period, Tomáš Ujfaluši launching long passes forward for him to knock down to Libor Sonko and Plašil. Such direct tactics nearly paid early dividends, Sionko heading Marek Jankulovski’s free-kick wide.

Tuncay shot
Koller was causing havoc every time the Czechs pushed forward, steering one header narrowly over before finding Marek Matejovský for a shot which was well dealt with by Volkan. Turkey were struggling to get into the game but finally registered their first effort on goal when a Tuncay strike fizzed wide of Čech’s upright, although it was the Czechs who continued to look the more likely to make the crucial breakthrough.

Perfect delivery
That opening goal eventually arrived in the 34th minute from a predictable source as Zdeněk Grygera escaped down the right to deliver a perfect cross for Koller head his 55th international goal beyond the despairing dive of Volkan and give the Czechs a richly-deserved lead. If their first-half travails were not worrying enough for Turkey, they also had the knowledge that the Czechs had never lost a competitive game in which Koller had scored.

Czechs in control
That statistic looked ever more relevant in the 62nd minute, Plašil meeting another fine cross, this time from Sionko, with a first-time volley that Volkan could not keep out. Despite the increased deficit there had been hope for Turkey, Nihat and Tuncay both going close in the early stages of the second period as Fatih Terim’s side finally began to find their feet on an increasingly slippery surface. In the teams’ previous meeting Turkey had scored twice in the final two minutes to earn a draw but such a scenario looked a long way off as the Czechs threatened again, Jan Polák crashing a shot against the post.

Nihat impact
Suddenly, however, Turkey had hope as Hamit Altintop cut in from the right for a cross that found Arda – the hero against Switzerland – at the far post to halve the deficit. The Czechs still looked like holding on, until an uncharacteristic mistake from Čech shattered their chances, the goalkeeper dropping another Altintop centre at the feet of Nihat, who duly prodded in. Two minutes later, Altintop’s pass set Nihat through and the Turkey captain produced a stunning finish under extreme pressure, curling into the top corner to take his team through to meet Group B winners Croatia in Vienna on Friday, when Mehmet Aurélio will also be suspended.