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.”

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.”

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.”

Germany captain Michael Ballack booked his side’s place in the UEFA EURO 2008™ quarter-finals with a thunderous free-kick, ending the hopes of Austria despite a valiant effort from the co-hosts in Vienna.

Clinical strike
To overtake their opponents and claim the runners-up spot in Group B, Austria needed to beat their neighbours – something they had not achieved since defeating West Germany in 1986. The home team enjoyed long periods of possession but, as in their February friendly loss in this stadium against the same opposition, were made to pay for a lack of a cutting edge up front – Ballack settling the contest in the 49th minute with a characteristically clinical set-piece. Coach Joachim Löw, who was sent to the stands with his Austria counterpart Josef Hickersberger just before half-time, can look forward to a quarter-final against Group A winners Portugal in Basel on Thursday.

Remarkable miss
Hickersberger made three changes to the side that snatched a last-gasp draw with Poland on Thursday, surprisingly giving 21-year-old Erwin Hoffer his second senior start in place of Roland Linz up front. If that was designed to improve the co-hosts’ potency, it initially backfired as Germany enjoyed the better of the early exchanges and, but for a remarkable Mario Gómez miss, the home crowd would have been silenced by the fifth minute. Miroslav Klose was the architect of the move, tricking his way down the right and delivering a low cross that bypassed goalkeeper Jürgen Macho, only for Gómez to mistime his shot at the unguarded net, allowing György Garics to head his looping effort off the line.

Austria advance
Gómez then drew a regulation save from Macho with a low angled drive, before Hoffer began to provide evidence of the poaching skills that made him such a prolific scorer in his country’s youth teams, narrowly failing to control an Andreas Ivanschitz cross which would have left him clear. Austria nevertheless took heart from that opening and enjoyed their first spell of sustained pressure, Jens Lehmann diving to his right to touch behind René Aufhauser’s low shot, although Macho had to do likewise to keep out a Lukas Podolski attempt from distance.

Ballack breakthrough
With so much at stake, it was little surprise that tensions were running high on and off the field, and following a heated exchange on the touchline Hickersberger and Löw were dismissed. It was the latter whose side seemed less affected by their coach’s absence, however, and within four minutes of the restart Germany were ahead. Ivanschitz pulled down Philipp Lahm as the left-back drove forward and Ballack exploited the resulting free-kick to the full, driving an unstoppable shot high into the net from 25 metres.

Positive omen
Lahm and Podolski both missed the target while Macho saved from Per Mertesacker and Klose as Germany sought to increase their advantage. Nonetheless, Austria never lost heart and Hoffer flashed a shot just wide of Lehmann’s goal. Germany have now won their last five games against these opponents and at the final whistle celebrated reaching the last eight for the first time since 1996 – when they went on to lift the trophy. Meanwhile, for the first time no host nation will be represented in the knockout rounds.

Michael Ballack is fully aware his nation’s hopes at UEFA EURO 2008™ are now riding on just 90 minutes as Germany prepare for an emotional derby clash with co-hosts Austria in their final Group B game on Monday.

‘Win every game’
Germany’s defeat by Croatia and Austria’s last-gasp penalty to snatch a draw against Poland last Thursday mean both sides can still join the Croats in the last eight with victory in Vienna. “There is no second round in the [UEFA] European Championship, but this match is like one,” said Ballack. “We now need to win every game. The right attitude and a great deal of passion are the basis for that.”

Perilous encounter
Passion will not be in short supply in the Austrian capital, though the tide of popular feeling will mostly be against Ballack’s side at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion. The Chelsea FC midfielder acknowledged that the atmosphere and the Germans’ billing as favourites makes the encounter perilous. “The real danger of this kind of game is that a defeat means you can lose everything,” said the former FC Bayern München man. “We’re expecting to face a team who have nothing to lose and who will be determined to throw everything they have at us in their own stadium. We would have liked, of course, to have qualified for the quarter-finals before this game, but now we will have to give it our all.”

Fierce criticism
The reason Germany’s future still hangs in the balance is their 2-1 loss to Croatia in Klagenfurt in their second group match. That reverse provoked fierce criticism, none more so than from within the squad itself as the players met – without coach Joachim Löw present – to dissect the defeat. “The players got together after the Croatia match to discuss the mistakes which had been made. We were very self-critical, but the result was a very positive one,” revealed the 31-year-old. “We have a lot of room for improvement and want to show what we can do in Vienna tomorrow. I’m not at all worried about this match.”

‘Not inhibited’
While Lukas Podolski, Philipp Lahm, and Heiko Westermann are all expected to shake off minor knocks, Marcell Jansen’s shoulder injury will prevent him from playing. Ballack, though, will again lead the team, and he shrugged off criticism of his own performances in the tournament. “I’m not at all inhibited, the amount of pressure is totally normal for me and criticism after such a defeat is a part of that,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the game.”

Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger will miss his team’s UEFA EURO 2008™ Group B game against Austria in Vienna on Monday after being sent off in yesterday’s game against Croatia.

Unsporting conduct
Having come on as a 66th-minute substitute, Schweinsteiger was dismissed two minutes into added time in the 2-1 defeat, which saw Croatia confirmed as Group B winners. The UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body found Schweinsteiger guilty of unsporting conduct in reacting to a challenge from Croatian opponent Jerko Leko.

The disappointment following the 2-1 loss against Croatia was still etched on the face of Joachim Löw as he addressed the media today. The 48-year-old seemed very tense, perhaps the pressure of expectation weighing on his mind ahead of Germany’s encounter against their neighbours in what is sure to be an emotional night at a sold-out Ernst-Happel-Stadion against co-hosts Austria.

High expectations
After his team struggled to cope with a lively Croatian side in Klagenfurt yesterday, Löw will be asking himself if his players can handle such an all-or-nothing match such as the one which now awaits the Mannschaft. The whole country expects the team to make amends for the loss against Croatia, while the whole of Austria, given hope after the draw with Poland, are hoping for a surprise victory over Löw’s title favourites.

Strong nerves needed
Defender Philipp Lahm expressed his confidence that he and his team-mates are focused enough to see off Asutria and claim the win they need. But is he being overly optimistic? Captain Michael Ballack has not yet been able to reach his usual high standards. The German rearguard looked particularly unstable against Croatia, while in attack, only Lukas Podolski, with three goals in two games so far, seems the only threat. Can the Germans cope with the white-hot atmosphere which is waiting for them in Vienna.

Germany coach Joachim Löw said that Croatia deserved their 2-1 victory in Klagenfurt but expressed confidence in his team’s powers of recovery. It was an opinion shared by opposite number Slaven Bilić, for whom the Mannschaft remained strong UEFA EURO 2008™ contenders, although the Croatia coach was more concerned with his own side’s superlative display.

Slaven Bilić, Croatia coach
It was a great match and I would like to extend special congratulation to my players, not only for battling hard but also for playing excellent football. There is no other way to beat Germany than to play well. They are a great team and are still one of the title favourites. You cannot allow them to control any part of the pitch and that’s how we tried to play against them. For me, this victory is a bigger achievement than beating England at Wembley. I keep getting questions about similarities between this team and the team I played in in 1998. All I can say is that we are Croatians, we play for our fans but we are not the only team who play like this. It was the same in 1998 and it’s the same now. We are always emotional, we cannot change that. Even if we wanted to, we don’t want to. There are coaches who stay in the dugout and those like me who are more active. I like to take part by giving advice and by being as close as possible to the pitch. Every team here, apart from Switzerland because they have been eliminated, can win the title. The difference in modern football is very small. As for Luka Modrić, he was already a star before this tournament. I keep telling him that he is the best player in Europe but he’s not the only great player in our team. My team prove to me day in, day out, in training and out on the pitch that they are world class.

Joachim Löw, Germany coach
It goes without saying that we are all a bit disappointed after losing this match, and looking back at the game through the rear-view mirror I think we deserved to lose – as a team we weren’t precise enough or fast enough to really trouble Croatia. We were unable to make our combinations or have a fluid game. The Croatians dropped back after the first goal and we were unable to penetrate their defence, which is why we have to accept our defeat. I’m not surprised that they tried to knock my players out of their rhythm, we were expecting this. I told them beforehand that Croatia would probably put an extra man in midfield and that’s what they did. I think that, unfortunately, we played straight into their hands by playing a lot of long balls and crosses. Over the last few years we’ve had a number of defeats – we’ve not only been winning games. The team have managed to get over these setbacks and I’m confident we will be able to do so again. It is clear that, had we won, we would have been much closer to the quarter-finals but I’m sure we will be able to perform better on Monday against Austria.