Joachim Löw believes it speaks volumes for the “continuity and good work” of German football that the Mannschaft are the only team to reach the semi-finals of UEFA EURO 2008™ having done likewise at the FIFA World Cup two years ago.

‘Very special’
Four European countries contested those last-four ties – Germany falling to eventual winners Italy and France defeating Portugal – yet only the ever-reliable Germans are still in contention here. Les Bleus failed even to progress from their group while the Azzurri lost their quarter-final to Spain and Portugal were beaten by Germany. Löw, a wily deputy to Jürgen Klinsmann in 2006, said: “For a coach, it is something very special to be in a semi-final with your team. You don’t experience this every day. We are the only side from the semi-finals in 2006 to have reached the semis here. That speaks for continuity and good work.”

Relaxed
Löw was in relaxed mood at Germany’s base camp in Tenero on Monday, overseeing “an intensive training session” featuring all 23 of his players as Torsten Frings looks to have overcome a rib injury. “Having everyone involved helps to increase the excitement ahead of the semi-final,” said the 48-year-old, before turning his attention to Wednesday’s opponents at St. Jakob-Park in Basel. “Every team that are in the semis have proved their class over a number of games. The Turkish are euphoric and consequently dangerous once they get going. That’s why we have to be careful. For me, they are much more unpredictable than the Portuguese. It’s 50-50.”

Fighting spirit
Turkey will be depleted by injury and suspension, so may have to rely on their famed fighting spirit if they are to reach a first final. “We’ve seen how long they keep pushing before winning games,” continued Löw. “Therefore we have to concentrate fully until the final whistle regardless of the score. They always come back when nobody expects it, but we’re aware of this and will take measures to prevent it. We want to do everything we can to reach the final and certainly won’t be careless in our preparations.”

“I don’t want revenge, I just want to win,” Russia captain Sergei Semak told euro2008.com ahead of Thursday’s rematch with Spain.

Reversal of fortune
Russia lost their opening UEFA EURO 2008™ Group D game 4-1 to Spain but victories against Greece, Sweden and, in quarter-final extra time, the Netherlands have taken Guus Hiddink’s side to the last four, where they will face their first opponents again in Vienna. However, if thoughts of avenging their Innsbruck reverse preyed on the Russia players’ minds when they watched Sunday’s quarter-final, Semak stated: “It’s not that important whether it was Spain or Italy, the most important thing is that it’s a semi-final.”

Mistakes
The 32-year-old midfielder also reminded his team-mates why the first match against Spain was lost. “The number one reason was individual mistakes, and of course when they were 2-0 up it was much easier for them to play,” Semak said, adding that despite the scorching heat in their Basel base, the team have recovered well from the Netherlands game on Saturday. “Our conditioning is good, our morale is good. There is still time to prepare, so everything will be OK.The heat doesn’t really bother us – in the end, both teams face similar conditions.”

Injury concerns
In a light session at Basel’s Rankhof Stadium, midfielder Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, forward Ivan Saenko and defender Aleksandr Anyukov all trained apart. “All of them have slight problems and I can’t tell you whether they will play against Spain,” said coach Guus Hiddink, although no more details were revealed. Bilyaletdinov is already thinking about Spain after watching their encounter with the Azzurri, won on penalties after a 0-0 draw. “It was a boring game, though I only saw the second half,” he said. “The Spanish were trying to be careful, but against us they played much more attacking football. I was interested to see what happened. It was a dramatic match, with not many chances, but tactically a good contest.”

Realism
He also reiterated that the errors committed a fortnight ago against Spain will not be repeated. “So far we are concentrating on ourselves and we have not talked about Spain,” the 23-year-old revealed. “But I do not think we will repeat the mistakes we made in the first game. The coaching staff will get us right for this match.” For all the great strides Hiddink’s men have made here, they still seem to be taking it one step at a time along the road to EURO glory. “I don’t know if we can win the tournament,” Bilyaletdinov added, “because to do that we need to win two more games, two very difficult games.”

Germany v Turkey may not appear a local derby, but in a way that is exactly what Wednesday’s UEFA EURO 2008™ semi-final in Basel resembles.

Strong ties
Around seven million foreign citizens live in Germany, and two million of them are Turkish, with 400,000 others having similar roots. In the 1960s the booming West German economy produced a labour shortage, prompting a stream of Turkish arrivals. In reverse, four million German tourists flock to Turkish beaches annually. Ties are strong between the two countries, but the relationship has not always been easy between communities, as is often the case with mass immigration. Things have changed for the better though in recent years. Third and fourth-generation Turkish-Germans have founded successful companies in their new home country, creating jobs and making an important contribution to the gross national product. Integration is now strong.

Footballing links
Football has also played its part in bringing together the two cultures. Turkey squad members Hamit Altıntop and Hakan Balta were born in Germany, with hundreds of thousands of others of similar extraction playing at all levels. This has led the Turkish Football Association to open an office in Germany, scouting heavily for future Altıntops and Baltas, something which bore fruit in the 2005 UEFA European Under-17 Championship when Ludenscheid-born Nuri Şahin was the inspiration for Turkey’s triumph. Others of Turkish decent, such as Mehmet Scholl, have represented Germany while the German Sepp Pontiek played a crucial role in Turkey’s international rise when he was national coach, assisted by one Fatih Terim.

Indescribable scenes
In 2006, when Turkey failed to reach the FIFA World Cup finals, many Turkish-Germans started openly supporting the hosts for the first time, flying combined flags from their cars, homes and business. At UEFA EURO 2008™, they have been spoilt for choice. “I talked to my girlfried in Berlin,” said Germany defender Arne Friedrich after Turkey’s quarter-final win, “and she told me that the Turkish celebrations in the streets were indescribable. It will be a very special football party on Wednesday.” His sentiment has been shared by Turkish callers to German radio. “This will be the game of the century for us,” stated one.

All winners
About half a million people are expected to flock to the Fan Mile in Berlin on Wednesday night for the match. “It couldn’t have been better for Berlin than these two teams meeting,” said Fan Mile spokesman Michael Wirtz. Kenan Kolat, chairman of the Association of Turkish Communities in Germany added: “We are already in the final. By this, I mean Germany and Turkey. My car flies both flags. Germany is the fatherland, Turkey the motherland. Both are in our hearts and this is a positive way of showing it.”

The UEFA Appeals Body has rejected the appeal made by the Turkish Football Association (TFF) following the Control and Disciplinary Body’s decision to ban goalkeeper Volkan Demirel for two matches for his red card against the Czech Republic.

Decision upheld
Consequently the decision of UEFA’s Control and Disciplinary Body is upheld, and with Volkan Demirel having already served one part of the two-match ban during Turkey’s quarter-final against Croatia, he will complete the suspension in Wednesday’s UEFA EURO 2008™ semi-final against Germany. Turkey’s first-choice goalkeeper at the finals, he was sent off late in his team’s third Group A game, against the Czech Republic on 15 June.

Turkish FA fine
The Appeals Body also upheld the fine imposed on the TFF, amounting to CHF44,000 (€27,000), for crowd disturbances and the improper conduct of the team and officials.

Having taken charge of the opening game of UEFA EURO 2008™, Italian referee Roberto Rosetti will also bring the tournament to a close after being appointed for Sunday’s final at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna.

Semi-final appointments
As well as Switzerland’s opening loss to the Czech Republic, the 40-year-old was in the middle for the quarter-final between Turkey and Croatia. He will be accompanied by compatriots and assistants Alessandro Griselli and Paolo Calcagno for the final, with Swedish referee Peter Fröjdfelt acting as fourth official. Meanwhile, Switzerland’s Massimo Busacca will take charge of the semi-final between Turkey and Germany in Basel on Wednesday, while Belgian Frank De Bleeckere has been chosen for Thursday’s other last-four meeting between Russia and Spain in Vienna.

‘Delighted’
Rosetti told euro2008.com: “This is a great satisfaction for me, I’m delighted. I would like to share this moment with all Italian referees as well as with those who are close to me. However, this is not only my appointment – it’s the appointment of a team together with my assistants Alessandro and Paolo. We’re all looking forward to the final with all of its emotion and atmosphere.”

Rapid rise
He received his FIFA international badge in 2002 and that spring Rosetti first tasted continental competition at the UEFA European Under-17 Championship, where he refereed the final between Switzerland and France, and has enjoyed a rapid rise to the very highest levels of football. That was underlined when he was one of the European referees chosen for the 2006 FIFA World Cup where he took charge of four matches, including the second-round meeting between Spain and France, and at 1.90m was the tallest official at the finals. Rosetti had earlier refereed at the 2003 FIFA U-20 World Cup – where he was again given responsibility for the final involving Brazil and Spain – and then, in summer 2005, had three games at the FIFA Confederations Cup in Germany.

Highly regarded
The Turin-based hospital manager, who speaks English and French and enjoys playing tennis in his spare time, has been a highly regarded match official in Italy for several years. Now a regular in the UEFA Champions League, he was the referee for last season’s semi-final second leg between Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC at Stamford Bridge.

He is watching a tournament for the first time since 1994 and former French international Zinédine Zidane is thoroughly enjoying UEFA EURO 2008™, although he freely admits to not having the first idea who will win.

‘Fan’s eyes’
“It’s been a wonderful tournament with fantastic matches,” Zidane, 36 today and who retired two years ago following his side’s defeat by Italy in the FIFA World Cup final, told euro2008.com. “I’ve really enjoyed watching the games. It’s the first tournament for a while in which I’ve not played so I have been following it from the outside and enjoying it with my family. I look with a fan’s eyes and I really enjoy watching these games because they are top-level matches.”

Arshavin admiration
One of football’s foremost creative talents during his glittering career, it is no surprise that Zidane – in Vienna to hold a coaching clinic for children as part of his role as an adidas ambassador – focuses mainly on the aesthetic side of the game, with one player in particular catching his eye. “In the game [against the Netherlands] the Russia No10, [Andrei] Arshavin, impressed many of us. Everything he does is surprising. He is very young and it’s his first major tournament, so to be able to play the way he does is surprising enough to talk about.”

Les Bleus let-down
A European champion with France in 2000, Zidane could only watch as Les Bleus lost to the Netherlands and Italy to fall at the first hurdle this time round, although he pinpoints the opening draw with Romania as the crucial factor. “The problem was that we had to win the first game,” he explained. “It’s so important to start well in such a competition – we had to beat Romania because the following matches were the Netherlands and Italy so we had to win that one. I’m disappointed, of course, because as a fan and ex-national team player I had big expectations. I expected them to do better, it didn’t work out, but I am sure the France team have a bright future, especially for the 2010 World Cup.”

Portugal praise
France aside, Zidane professes to a particular affection for a side who lost in the quarter-finals, saying: “My favourite team were Portugal, but unfortunately they’re not in the tournament any more. They were a complete team. They have many good individuals who are very strong technically and they are also strong in defence. It’s always important to have good individual qualities and good forwards, but it’s even more important not to concede goals – and Portugal had this potential before the quarter-final against Germany. Of course they played against a very strong Germany side who hadn’t done so well in their previous matches, but who played a perfect game against Portugal.”

Tough call
Germany will meet Turkey in the semi-final in Basel on Wednesday with Spain taking on Russia in Vienna a day later, yet Zidane remains reluctant to single out a team as likely champions. “Germany are always there for important matches, they’re always among the last four and [Michael] Ballack leads his team in a great manner. Russia have proved that they have great quality as a team, especially against the Netherlands. They’re physically well prepared and that allowed them to beat the Netherlands – they were a lot fresher in extra time. There are still some really good teams and in such tournaments there are always surprises. I hope they will be great matches. I have no idea who’ll win, so my prediction wouldn’t be correct anyway.”

As Cesc Fàbregas walked up to face Gianluigi Buffon – and strike the penalty that would put Spain into their first senior semi-final for 24 years – what was running through his head was the fact he had not taken a proper spot-kick since he was 15.

Mental obstacle
If only Buffon had known. Eventually the ball went one way and Italy’s goalkeeper the other. Spain had defeated the world champions and rid themselves of many of their notorious mental obstacles to success. But that was not the whole story, not by a long way. Firstly, the midfielder almost missed. “It’s true this was the first senior competitive penalty of my career,” he grinned. “But when I practise, I have a tendency to put it to the keeper’s left. However, this time, and I don’t know why, I just hesitated a split-second longer than usual before pulling the trigger and I sensed Buffon moving to his left. I changed my mind, struck it to his right and the fact he’d just moved, momentarily, did the job. I just wanted to score, to finish them off. Life sometimes presents you with the challenge of your country needing you and that was mine.”

Assured performance
Not only did Fàbregas win the match and end Spain’s seemingly perpetual block at playing Italy competitively, at getting past the quarter-finals of tournaments and at winning penalty shoot-outs; he also performed with energy and assurance when he came on for Xavi Hernández after 60 minutes. Some judges would now find a way to break up Luis Aragonés’s winning XI and make sure the Arsenal FC man plays no matter what. Yet even in the euphoria of sharing the post-match dressing room with King Juan Carlos of Spain, who came in to celebrate with the squad, Fàbregas played a blinder, saying: “There has been so much talk about my being a substitute, about my attitude and my form, but all I want is to help my country. If the boss wants to go with the same starting lineup, if he wants me on in the first minute or the last, for extra time or penalties, I’ll be there for him, ready to contribute. And if he decides to leave me out because he thinks that’s what is needed, I won’t change my attitude either.”

Final goal
Aside from his innate talent and what Arsène Wenger has managed to impart to him at Arsenal’s training ground, one of the 21-year-old’s most valuable assets is a tremendous hunger for success. With the talk of jinxes having been scrapped, the Catalan is clear about what should happen next. “Neither Spain nor I came to this tournament simply to get the monkey off our backs regarding quarter-finals. We are here to win and we think we can do it. This is just one tiny step forward and anyone who believes they are going to see the same sort of Russia performance as in the first game is very much mistaken. There’s lots still to be done.”

Germany centre-back Per Mertesacker is eager to ensure his second appearance in a national-team semi-final is a successful one. Joachim Löw’s side must navigate a potentially hazardous last-four encounter with a Turkey team whose resilience has become their trademark at UEFA EURO 2008™.

Final destination
“I have now played 47 internationals and the match on Wednesday will be my second appearance in the semi-finals of a major tournament,” the 23-year-old Werder Bremen defender said. “Unfortunately, we were defeated by Italy at this stage in the 2006 [FIFA] World Cup. But this time, I definitely want to reach the final. And as part of the defence, I can play a very important role in that. I want my performance on Wednesday to justify my place in the starting eleven.”

Gradual improvement
Germany’s back line has come under intense scrutiny in these finals, from public and media alike. Mertesacker’s centre-half partner Christoph Metzelder spent most of the season on the treatment table at Real Madrid CF, while goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has only been involved sporadically at club level in the last eight months. Mertesacker, though, has been impressed by how his colleagues have mostly defied their detractors. And while appreciating there is still room for improvement, the towering stopper believes the defensive unit is only getting stronger. “We always have to prove ourselves,” Mertesacker said. “There was a lot of discussion [before the finals] as to whether or not the defence was strong enough. Would the injured players struggle? Who would play in goal? But that is history. Not everything is perfect yet, but we have gelled well and are improving with each game. That’s clear.”

Frings ‘hope’
Just like everyone else in the Mannschaft, the 196cm aerial specialist is also hoping for the return of Bremen team-mate Torsten Frings – doubtful because of a broken rib – for the semi-finals. “For much of the season we [Bremen] waited for Torsten after he suffered a knee injury,” Mertesacker added. “And when he returned, he made a big impact in helping us qualify for the [UEFA] Champions League. Now we wait for him again and are hoping for his help in the fight to reach the final. We are a unit, a team, which has grown even closer since the 2006 World Cup. We definitely don’t want to go out again in the semi-finals.”

Hamit Altıntop is looking further forward than a semi-final reunion with a number of his FC Bayern Munchen team-mates after helping Turkey defeat Croatia in an epic last-eight tie in Vienna. “If we believe in ourselves we can win the tournament,” said the Carlsberg Man of the Match award winner.

Winning penalty
The midfielder covered more ground than any other player – 14.21kms – and came into his own in an unfamiliar role as Turkey’s playmaker following the 76th-minute substitution of Mehmet Topal for Semih Şentürk. Semih went on to rifle in a last-second equaliser after Ivan Klasnić had scored 29 into minutes into extra time for the Croatians, leading to a shoot-out which the team in red won 3-1. Hamit, who drilled in Turkey’s third penalty, said: “We played well as a team and reaching the semi-final is the important thing. It’s vital to be cold-blooded in shoot-outs – you mustn’t show nervousness in football. If we carry on this way, and believe in ourselves, we can win the tournament.”

‘We can beat anybody’
Born in Gelsenkirchen, the 25-year-old spent four successful seasons with FC Schalke 04 before joining Bayern last summer and he could face as many as five of his club colleagues in Wednesday’s semi-final in Basel. He knows only too well that Turkey’s preparations must be perfect if they are to triumph against the odds once more. “It’s important that we rest first and then we can analyse Germany with our coach,” he said. “We can beat anybody if we prepare ourselves properly. All the team showed tonight that it’s important to believe in ourselves, what’s right, and what our coach tells us. If we continue like this we shouldn’t fear any team.”

Hodgson’s choice
Victorious coach Fatih Terim praised his No22 – “When you have footballers like this you don’t lose,” he said – along with the UEFA Technical Team who voted Hamit as the Man of the Match after hearing the results of the online vote on euro2008.com. One of that number, Roy Hodgson, said of the midfielder’s display: “There were several candidates but obviously we decided upon a Turkish player because they won the penalty shoot-out and I thought Altıntop’s performance throughout the game was extremely good. He both defended and attacked very, very well and was a key figure alongside Tuncay [Şanlı] in the centre of the midfield. I thought as the game went on the Turkish midfield got stronger and stronger.”

‘Exceptional’ Modrić
The Fulham FC manager had words of consolation for Luke Modrić who “had an exceptional game in midfield for Croatia” before missing the first spot-kick in the shoot-out. Hodgson added: “Extra time was an exciting period and it’s quite amazing that Turkey can pull a match out of the fire with only two or three minutes left to play being one goal down. It was quite an amazing performance, a fantastic effort on their part. It’s incredible that they can show the desire to fight on and they got their reward with Semih’s fantastic strike and in the penalty shoot-out. So I think congratulations to them and hard luck for Croatia as it’s a hard way to lose.”

Turkey are through to the semi-finals of the UEFA European Championship for the first time at Croatia’s expense after a thrilling match in Vienna was decided on penalties after the two sides had swapped goals in the final moments of extra time.

Sensational comeback
When Ivan Klasnić headed in Luka Modrić’s cross with a minute of the overtime period to play, Croatia looked to have booked their place in Wednesday’s semi-final against Germany. However, for the third game running, Turkey sensationally hit back at the death to force the first shoot-out of these finals when Semih Şentürk drove in, with the aid of a deflection, from just inside the area. They went on to win 3-1 on penalties after Rüştü Reçber saved Mladen Petrić’s kick following earlier misses from Modrić and Ivan Rakitić. Turkey coach Fatih Terim, though, will struggle to get a team together to play Germany with Emre Aşık, Tuncay Şanlı and Arda Turan all suspended along with Volkan Demirel after being booked here.

Nervy start
Terim, without the banned Volkan Demirel and Mehmet Aurélio and with injuries also taking their toll, made four changes from the side that defeated the Czech Republic dramatically to reach the quarter-finals. The 35-year-old Rüştü, who had played against Croatia coach Slaven Bilić at EURO ‘96™, started in goal, while Bilić reverted to the team that had beaten Germany en route to topping Group B. With so much at stake, both sets of players made nervy starts. On five minutes Turkey right-back Sabri Sarıoğlu’s misplaced pass allowed Rakitić to dart to the byline and he pulled the ball back for Darijo Srna whose shot was blocked by Hakan Balta. It was a portent of things to come as Croatia probed with success down both flanks with Terim’s reshuffled back line struggling to cope with their slick passing.

Olić denied
For Turkey, Hamit Altıntop flashed an early effort wide and Robert Kovač bravely blocked his free-kick, but Bilić’s men were soon in the ascendancy and should have gone ahead on 18 minutes. Croatia fans had descended on Vienna en masse during a baking hot day and they roared as one when Modrić raced clear on the right. His low centre singled out Ivica Olić who crashed a shot off the crossbar before Niko Kranjčar headed the rebound over. Just as against Austria, Croatia lost their way when it looked like they were ready to take a stranglehold on proceedings. Turkey began to enjoy more of the possession and though chances were few, Mehmet Topal drew a gasp from the crowd with a 30-metre drive that whistled just wide.

Rüştü saves
The traffic was soon flowing back towards Rüştü, with Croatia almost given a goal four minutes after the restart. Gökhan Zan’s weak header let Olić in and the veteran goalkeeper had to race off his line to get a finger to the striker’s headed attempt. Rüştü saved from Kranjčar moments later and then, on 70 minutes, Rakitić fired over after a neat one-two with Olić had given him a clear sight of goal inside the box. Knowing their side’s propensity for late goals Turkey supporters grew in confidence as extra time loomed. But as the clocked ticked down Croatia again came close, Rüştü brilliantly tipping away Srna’s curling free-kick on 83 minutes, then blocking from Olić.

Incredible climax
Having taken the match to added time, Turkey started to show more adventure. Stipe Pletikosa did well to parry after Emre Aşık had skipped through the Croatia defence and was then grateful to see Tuncay’s drive flash wide on 102 minutes. In an incredible climax, Klasnić would head Croatia in front in the final minute – Modrić capitalising on an error by Rüştü to provide the assist – only for Semih to hit back with the last kick of the game. His deflected strike flew past Pletikosa, leaving it to a shoot-out to finally tilt the balance in Turkey’s favour.