Scoring two goals in the last three minutes to turn a group-stage exit into a quarter-final berth is not usually part of an international captain’s duties. But it was no ordinary night for Nihat Kahveci in Geneva.

Vital goals
Facing the Czech Republic for second place in UEFA EURO 2008™ Group A, Turkey trailed 2-0 and looked down and out. Arda Turan then pulled one back before Nihat – who had criticised his own lack of goals before the game – then had an inspired three minutes, poking in when Petr Čech dropped the ball before racing clear to slot in the winner. Turkey goalkeeper Volkan Demirel was subsequently sent off and, like Mehmet Aurélio, will be suspended against Croatia in Vienna on Friday, but the mere fact that Turkey will play that game is a tribute to Nihat, given the Carlsberg Man of the Match award by the UEFA Technical Team.

‘Turning point’
Captaining Turkey due to Emre Belözoğlu’s injury absence, the Villarreal CF striker said: “Of course I am very happy. Up to the point we went 2-0 down we were not really performing very well but we didn’t give up. The first goal we scored was the key, the turning point, as that created concern for the Czechs. Then we took advantage of a goalkeeping mistake and then scored the third. You don’t get this sort of game in this tournament very often so the feelings were tremendous. To score that goal and know it would take us to the quarter-finals is an amazing experience. But we always believed we could make it.”

Comeback
Just as at UEFA EURO 2000™ and the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Turkey have recovered from defeat in their first game – this time against Portugal – to go through thanks to last-gasp wins against Switzerland and the Czechs. “Now we’re in the quarter-finals. After the Portugal match only a few people really believed that we could make it, but we continue to make football history,” Nihat said. “We know that we have to do some things better. But if we can win a match even if we play badly, then we can beat any team if we play well. This victory is a gift to our nation. These were the most important goals I have ever scored. We played a little bit slowly in the first half but then recovered from that situation after the interval. Now it is time to have fun. We are not afraid of anyone, we can beat Croatia in the quarter-finals.”

Engel tribute
A member of the UEFA Technical Study Team, former Poland coach Jerzy Engel, paid tribute to Nihat’s display. “At the crucial moments he was always there, trying very hard for 90 minutes,” Engel said. “And at the end he gave a fantastic win to his team. This says everything about football. One team goes from heaven to hell; the other, from hell to heaven. This is the beauty of this game. Now the Czechs are crying, but on 75 minutes Turkey were crying. Those who were here in this stadium cannot believe what has happened. And this man, Nihat, changed the game completely.”

Petr Čech said the Czech Republic’s elimination from UEFA EURO 2008™ “summed up his season” as he struggled to come to terms with a remarkable final group match against Turkey, who shattered the Czechs’ hopes of a quarter-final place with two moments of wonderful opportunism from forward Nihat Kahveci.

Absolutely devastated
Čech, who was at fault for Nihat’s first goal but had no chance with his spectacular second, admitted it would take a while to recover from the 3-2 defeat which not only ended the Czechs’ interest in the EURO but also ended his hopes of winning a trophy this season. “We are absolutely devastated,” he told euro2008.com. “It’s hard to believe what just happened. We felt we played very well in the first half and were in control of the game. Jan [Koller] gave us the lead and when we went two goals up there did not seem any way back for Turkey.

‘No chance’
“However, they got the first and their tails seemed to go up and then I made a mistake for the second and suddenly they were back in the game. At least at that point it seemed like penalties and we were still in with a chance but then Nihat broke clear and scored an incredible goal. I had no chance. That game really sums up my season, especially after losing out on three trophies for Chelsea [FC] in the final games. We came so close but blew it in the end.” Asked how he would deal with his error for the second goal, he said: “It’s just one of those things. Everybody makes mistakes and I am a human being. I tried my best but there was a lot of water on the ball and it slipped from my grasp.”

‘Cruel end’
Czech Republic captain Tomáš Ujfaluši added: “It was a cruel way to end our participation in this tournament. We felt we deserved to reach the last eight and were very much in control of the match until the last ten minutes. Then suddenly we made some mistakes which are very uncharacteristic of our team and our defence and we now find ourselves eliminated. It’s awful but we must deal with it and accept that Turkey beat us.”

From the moment it became clear that second place in UEFA EURO 2008™ Group A could be decided by a penalty shoot-out between Turkey and the Czech Republic, most neutrals were willing the fixture in Geneva to be drawn, if only for the sheer novelty value. But who knew that regulation time would provide a marathon of drama that made the sprint of spot-kicks superfluous?

Improbable conclusion
It was exciting enough when Arda Turan pulled a goal back not long after the Czech Republic had doubled the lead. Then, when Nihat Kahveci took advantage of a real rarity, a Petr Čech fumble, in the 87th minute, penalties were somehow back on and in circumstances of heightened excitement. Except that Nihat struck again to make it 3-2 with one minute of normal time remaining, for Turkey’s second consecutive late winner. Yet even that was not the end of it, as Turkey goalkeeper Volkan Demirel was dismissed for a push on Jan Koller when the ball was out of play – that last detail meaning makeshift replacement Tuncay Şanlı did not have to face an immediate spot-kick and then perhaps several more.

Czech dominance
It all seemed a long time since half-time, when a Turkey victory looked an outside bet. The Czech Republic players were in no mood to put their perfect penalty shoot-out record on the line, judging by their blistering start. The height of Koller and the foraging four-man support of Libor Sionko, Jan Polák, Marek Matějovský and Jaroslav Plašil proved a real handful for a Turkey defence missing the tall Gökhan Zan, not to mention the experience of Emre Belözoğlu in midfield. At this stage, there was no question of Volkan being able to save himself for penalties with Koller, Matějovský and Sionko shooting and crossing from all angles.

Koller threat
It was no surprise when Koller rose high to head in Zdeněk Grygera’s cross on 34 minutes for his 55th and, though he did not know it at the time, final international goal – he had said he would retire after the finals. Not long afterwards Matějovský was taken off with an injury, but David Jarolím proved an able understudy. Koller remained a constant threat, no doubt having been champing at the bit after spending most of Wednesday’s loss here against Portugal on the bench.

Terim switch
Penalties at that point would have been a more than acceptable outcome for Turkey. The supersub against Switzerland, Semih Şentürk, had started but, in an intriguing move, the striker was replaced at the break by Sabri Sarıoğlu, not usually an attacking player. However, although the rain began to pelt down – the harbinger of Turkey’s difficult first-half spell against Switzerland – it was clear Fatih Terim’s switch was just as canny as the one four days earlier in Basel, Sabri proving a tricky right-sided winger.

Unexpected emotions
As time flew by, a shoot-out appeared a possibility, then became a seeming improbability when the sliding Plašil turned in Sionko’s cross. Freed from spot-kick concerns, the Czech Republic fans launched a Mexican wave which would be rudely halted by Arda’s strike. A quarter-hour later and it was the Turkey supporters celebrating. Expect emotions? No one could have predicted this.