An unfathomable blunder by Petr Cech and one of the greatest comebacks in the
history of international football saw Turkey through to the quarter-finals
of the European Championship in Geneva last night.
At 74 minutes, the Turks were 2-0 down to the Czech Republic and going home.
After 89 they were 3-2 up and heading to a date with Croatia in Vienna on
Friday. That Cech, arguably the world’s greatest goalkeeper and one believed
capable of deciding the destination of the Barclays Premier League title
when between the posts for Chelsea, should be largely responsible for the
downfall of his team just adds the unexpected to the scarcely believable.
As the game was played out in scenes of frantic chaos, Volkan Demirel,
Turkey’s goalkeeper, was sent off in injury time and with Turkey having used
all three substitutes, Tuncay Sanli, the Middlesbrough forward, had to put
on the gloves for the last two minutes. It was that sort of match. It has
been that sort of tournament, really. Every day it gets better, although
only an Austrian win against Germany tonight could top this for excitement.
There have been beautiful games and fascinating talking points in Euro 2008,
but not a match like this. Indeed, it was difficult to remember one in
previous competitions, either, a game that turned on its head with moments
remaining, that in one instant looked predictable and constant and in the
next became a raging tempest, uncontrollable and thrilling.
The whole occasion was a buzz, really, so delicately poised was the second
qualification place in group A, with two teams level on points, goal
difference and goals scored going head to head, and the prospect of a
penalty shoot-out to separate them if the scores were tied at the end of
full-time; but nobody could have envisaged the drama that would be contained
in the 90 minutes itself, certainly not after the Czech Republic had taken a
commanding two-goal lead with less than 30 minutes remaining.
Jan Koller, the giant talismanic striker who would not look out of place at
Plough Lane in the 1970s — or Stoke City in the Premier League next season,
for that matter — had given the Czechs the lead in the 34th minute with a
header from a Zdenek Grygera cross. Turkey were finding him incredibly hard
to combat, the hapless Servet Cetin in particular, and the first half had
passed with barely a foray into Cech’s territory. Turkey looked brighter
after half-time and came close through Tuncay after 52 minutes, but soon
after Libor Sionko, again the Czechs’ best midfield player, struck a cross
from the right that was converted by Jaroslav Plasil, the left winger, at
the far post. The Turks protested furiously that they had been denied the
opportunity to get a substitute on for the injured defender Emre Gungor when
the goal was scored, and were disadvantaged with ten men, but the
complaints, like any hope of a comeback, seemed forlorn. This game was over.
There would be no penalty shoot-out, no edge-of-the-seat climax. How wrong
we were.
In the 75th minute, Hamit Altintop, the Bayern Munich midfield player deployed
Michael Essien-style at right back by Fatih Terim, the Turkey coach, sped
down the flank and hit a cross which fell perfectly for Arda Turan, one of
five Galatasaray players to make the starting line-up.
The finish was smart and Turkey were within one goal of equality. But the
Czechs appeared untroubled; with ten minutes remaining, Karel Bruckner,
their veteran coach, had such confidence that the game would not need to be
won again that he removed his wide players, Sionko and Plasil, to shore up
the play and keep what he had.
He had clearly not factored in an error by a player widely believed to be at
the pinnacle of his profession and neither had the rest of us. Cech does not
make big-match errors. With him, Chelsea win the league, when he is missing,
it hands the advantage to Manchester United: that is the perception in
England, anyway.
Maybe it will change after this, the biggest goalkeeping howler of the
competition so far; worse than the Greek guy against Russia. Yes, that bad.
The cross came from Altintop again but, frankly, it was not much to write
home about. Cech could have caught it in his headgear with relative ease had
he the mind. Nor is there mitigation to be had in blaming the conditions.
Cech has seen enough rain in his time not to be fazed by the amount that
fell in Geneva, torrential though it was for much of the match.
He dropped it, simple as that. Took his eye off the ball or let his
concentration slide or misjudged his jump or did whatever it is that makes
even the best in the world let one fall through his fingers under pressure
occasionally. The ball was presented to Nihat Kahveci and he stuck it in an
empty net. The Villarreal striker had been Turkey’s only goal threat until
then, but that isn’t saying much. The goal was open, he was six yards out.
In reality, chalk that one down to Cech.
The next, however, was Nihat’s alone. His run, his timing, his perfect finish,
as he slipped the shackles of the shaken Czech side, particularly Tomas
Galasek who believed he was playing him offside, but was not, and ran on to
fire the ball into the net, bouncing down off the underside of the bar and
over the line, as all great-looking goals of importance should. The stadium
may have been denied the adrenalin rush of the shoot-out, but this was an
even greater thrill. Could there be anything left in this remarkable game
after that? Apparently, there was.
With two minutes of injury time remaining, after a minor, legal, skirmish in
the Turkish penalty area, Volkan, for reasons best known to himself and,
quite possibly, his psychiatrist, decided to push Koller to the floor with
the ball out of play.
Peter Fröjdfelt, the Swedish referee not unused to controversy in this
tournament, saw it and brandished a red card. Tuncay went in goal but,
sadly, did not have a save to make. It was the only anti-climax of the
night; perhaps the only disappointment of the tournament so far.
How they rated:
Turkey: 4-4-2 - Volkan Demirel 5, Hamit Altintop 8, Emre Gungor
5, Servet Cetin 5, Hakan Balta 6, Mehmet Topal Y 5, Mehmet Aurelio Y 6, Arda
Turan 7, Tuncay Sanli 7, Nihat Kahveci 8, Semih Senturk 4. Substitutes:
Sabri Sarioglu (for Semih Senturk, 46min), Colin Kazim-Richards (for Mehmet
Topal, 56), Emre Asik Y (for Emre Gungor, 61).
Czech Republic: 4-5-1 - P Cech 5, Z Grygera 6, T Ujfalusi 6, D Rozenhal
5, M Jankulovski 6, L Sionko 7, M Matejovsky 6, T Galasek 6, J Polak 7, J
Plasil 7, J Koller 7. Substitutes: D Jarolim (for M Matejovsky,
38min), M Kadlec (for J Plasil, 80), S Vlcek (for L Sionko, 84).
we re turks. ı m sure that this team go through semi final the same world cup.also we re champion every tourment because of my orijin.
Vatan, ankara, turkey
Turkey has the talent to play with anyone. You can call the team lucky, or blame the opposition's mistakes for Turkey's success, but the Turks will continue to be a force. Terim has done a great job adding the motivation they needed.
Naci, Seattle, USA
After this, I guess Simon Barnes is not regretting supporting Turkey at all.
Yalcin Aksoy
Yalcin Aksoy, Istanbul, Turkey
ıt was an marvelous game. Turks and cechs are reaaly good footballers
Dursun, ankara, Turkiye
i will grow a mostache a dye my hair turkish black if they win and even throw in a kebab well done turkey
michael campbell, Londonderry, N IRELAND
Astonishing last 15 minutes! Turkey came from 2-0 down to win, Arda & skipper Nihat (twice) beating Petr Cech. More cards than in a poker game. Tuncay in goal!!(when Volkan sent off). Turkey less good in 1st.half but had a fire under their backsides in 2nd. This tournament is becoming the best ever!
Mike, High Wycombe, UK
yes turkish football team is the best.ı m afraid of turks.because they never stop fight.they always strike.ıf you are turk.you are honourable.ıf you are not afraid turkish power which come from their noble wolf blood from centre of asia(cengis khan,attilla,fatih and M.Kemal Pasha)
dimitris pipisipis, cyprus, nicosia
I cannot blieve that you think the referee did a good job. He handed over their second goal to the Czechs.
murat, Central, HK
Van der Sar is best goalie & would have stopped at least Turkey's 2nd. & 3rd. Turkey may get a chance to test him in final v Holland, but first have to get past Croatia in Quarters & (I predict) Germany in Semis. - a tough prospect. After last night's astonishing game though anything's possible.
Mike, High Wycombe, UK
Oh my god - What an unbelievable game!
This crazy Turkish journey continues to move forwards, who knows where it will stop? but I am loving the ride!
Just imagine if we score first :-)
Volkan, London,
Thanks for everyone who make this magic night
Ali Kasapoglu, Bursa, Turkey
...and face a well-drilled, technically-sound Croatian team in the Quarter-finals. A tough propositon. As for the comments surrounding Cech, I would welcome him with open arms at Tottenham Hotspur, where such errors have been commonplace between the sticks this season.
Keith, Peterborough, Cambs
Well done Turkey - i hope they win
They provide great entertainment
VOLKAN is an idiot though
Does he miss 3 games now?
Karam, Jalandhar, India
This was without doubt the greatest game in European Championship footballing history and one of the greatest games in footbal - period. This tournament just gets better and better. Mr Terim looks and acts like he's mad, but you cannot doubt his powers of motivation.
Amazing game!
Ben, London, England
well deserved, credit to both teams, what a come back.
cant wait to watch turkey croatia.
turkish team capable of anything! underdogs?
william, london, uk
Who really believes that Chech is N.1 keeper ??
That's Gigi Buffon .
Roberto, Monza, Italy
i think, we will win this euro2008 cup... because we are very good a team also we have very able players... i believe we will to win crotia match...
Wait World !!!! Turks coming
Kuzey Turkoglu, Sheffield, UK
it was an miracle. not a 3-5-2 or not a 4-4-2.
Osman, balikesir, turkey
Kemal Ataturk, founded of the Turkish Republic, couldn't have said it better on this night: "Ne mutlu Turkum diyene!" - "How happy it is to say 'I am a Turk'!"
R L Tanizaki, Tokyo, Japan
All of the incidents mentioned here contributed to one of the most amazing matches in history, people will talk about it for years. John Champion summed it up perfectly just after the red card with his comment about a space ship landing in the centre circle not surprising him.
Brilliant match,
John, Telford,
Miss Dee, Tayside, UK said:
Since when is Turkey in Europe? Can someone explain?
answer:
You need to read many history books to learn since when Turkey is in Europe. You may even have some relatives of Turkish origin :)
Zhetan Dorja, Istanbul, Turkey
Turkey Rulezzzzz!!!........ Of course we'll beat Croatia don't worry bout' that.... But if you think about US you may imagine our belief....like we did to English people in our War of Independence eh?..... We got Arda , Hamit , Tuncay ,Nihat , Volkan , so GET EM' ALL ladS!!
Revolution, Izmir, Turkey!!!!!!!(GLAD TO BE A TURK!!)
great show
enis, istanbul, turkey
Miss Dee,
Turkiye are in since UK, Ireland (both of whom clearly detest Europe), Russia, Cyprus and Israel have been.
Kizil, Reading, UK
To Miss Dee, Tayside , UK
Since 1300's, Turks have ruled the lands in Europe. That means 7 centuries. Does this explanation satisfy you? Read more about Turks and Europe history, or just shut up.
Cokobas, Istanbul, Turkiye
Great game.Arda,Nihat and all the Turkish Team thank you for making us proud.we want to see you in final.
ali ture, somerset, england
two advance for CZECH but this game finish at third goal...!!!:)
suaip, antalya, turkey
Wait and see!!!
We're Turks..!!!:):):)
Ali, Ankara, TÜRKİYE
Expect the unexpectable from Turks!!.... Always a surprise with a delight !! What an amazing soul and determinism !! Well done fighters of Fatih Terim!! So proud of you !!
ILKAY INCEER, London, UK
is there any other team which turned the match in 15 minutes ı dont remember:))the team was excellent 0unbelievable. thıs adjectives best describe us TURKS THE UNBELİEVABLE TURKS
JASMİNE, hatay, turkey
To Miss Dee, Tayside, UK:
LOL
Since 1453: Conquest of Istanbul
eren, Frankfurt, Turkey
ı don t believe that we turned the match:))
JASMİNE, hatay, turkey
Tornumants are boring without teams like Turkey, very entertaining, we have toexpect the unexpected.
jeff cakti, tadworth surrey, uk
The Turks bring the excitement, the entertainment... the soul to the tournament! Euro 2008 would definitely not be as interesting if it wasn't for the Turkish National Team. You could see that they believed in themselves.. you could see their desire from their eyes!! amazing comeback!!
Yagmur, DC, USA
Cech's false reputation was shown on a big stage. He is not even the best goalkeeper at Stamford Bridge, let alone in the world. Most top keepers would have saved the first goal as well. Cech, as always, was slow getting down to a low shot.
Roger Tilbury, Worthing,
we're crazy Turks!!!
joseph, istanbul, Turkey
It was a piece of cake for the Turks after the Czechs stopped playing. They had incredible pressure and it paid very well off. It is a deserved victory for the Turks. I can't understand why the Czechs let this happen.
Great game. May have been the best one at 2008 Euro.
Mike , Cheb, Czech Republic
We, unbelievable Turks, won that match with our determined and self-confident footballers.
We were to be beated with a score: 2-0. But at last 15 minutes our team all attacked to the Czech team and scored 3 goals unbelievably... This sounds like a miracle..
I hope Turkey will be the 1st
Orkun, Ankara, TURKEY
Since when is Turkey in Europe? Can someone explain?
Miss Dee, Tayside, UK
return Ottoman Empire...
Great Turk's
Yusuf, izmir-Göztepe, Turkiye
Didn't Bastian sch - err, that German chap, earn a suspension for his red card?
ian, Gloucester,
Even as a Chelsea supporter I find it laughable that Martin Samuels and others claim that Cech is the best goalkeeper in the world, when the last season has been littered with serious errors.
Martin obviously doesn't watch many Chelsea games, e.g. not Aresenal A last season, or Aston Villa H.
James W, London, UK
it was a unbelievable match :) HERE! HERE IT IS!!!! :D we have got team souL... they are TURK , we are TURK!!! everybody see this....!!! there was a big festival in Türkiye yesterday night we deserved it!! :D:D
çiğdem, samsun, TÜRKİYE
Fantastic turnaround by Turkey; wonderful winning goal. Shame about the keeper's stupidity. Penalties would have been interesting.
Koller was pushed, not very hard; his antics were a disgrace. UEFA or FIFA must start looking at players' over-reaction even when they are clearly fouled.
William White, Crewe,
Turkish delight!
Jack Hoffmann, Allerod, Denmark
The Turkish Team believed in the unbelievable. This was an exuberance of self confidence. It shook the Czechs and the Cech. That is how the Turks scored the second goal. Turks won a well deserved game. I like this entertaining Turkish team and am glad that they qualified for quarterfinals.
Isabella Ortiz, Pasqua, Argentina
As a red, I was happy to see the Turks get their own Istanbul.
jim, brussels, belgium
The Goalkeeper was an idiot to get a red card like that.
isa Bal, Reading, UK
Very balanced article - something we miss in our own press. Our team tried hard to win but Turks were better - I have to confess that fact.
Vit S., Ohrada,
Greatest turnaround in the history of European Championship!! It was an incredible match with full of surprises.. I don't know how the last fifteen minutes!!
Sahika Kaya, Samsun,
New World footbal king Turks team
Crazy Turks, İstanbul, Turkey
Turkey is the more colourfull team of this tournament ofcourse. First Switzerland 0-1 to 2-1, and then Checz 0-2 to 3-2. Brave hearts, great bealift and best skills. Follow that crasy Turks.
Bulent Ulusman, Istanbul, Turkiye
This night is TURK's night.
The World never forget this match!
Yes that was incredible won! We WON!!!
Mustafa, Konya, Türkiye (Turkey)
I'm Turk , and that was a game which i never will forget and tell this story my children.... unbelievebel
cueno, Manchester, UK