Euro 2008 Semi-Finals Day One

15 June 2008

SWITZERLAND 2 (Hakan Yakin 71, Hakan Yakin 83 Pen)
PORTUGAL 0

An absolutely pointless match. Scolari rested his star players. Muller intercepted a clearance and sent it back into the Portugal box towards Derdiyok who, with his back to play, volleyed a lovely pass into Hakan Yakin and smacked a half volley under Ricardo's legs. Barnetta bounced himself off Meira to win a penalty which Yakin slammed into the top left corner.

Attendance : 40,000
Assists : Derdiyok, Barnetta (won pen)


TURKEY 3 (Arda 75, Nihat 87, Nihat 89)
CZECH REPUBLIC 2 (Koller 34, Plasil 62)

Grygera got free on the right and swung a cross into the box which Koller headed under the crossbar. After a
dreadful first half in which Koller's goal was the only highlight you could never imagine what was in store in
the final 45 minutes.

At half time Terim pushed Tuncay, who started out on the right wing, up front instead of Semih Senturk and replaced him with Sabri Sarioglu. Koller broke through on the hour mark and did a Luca Toni, failing to hit the target when through on goal. Unlike Italy and France the Czechs weren't left to rue the miss because less than a minute later as the Turks were trying to substitute the injured Emre Gungor, Plasil made it 0-2 when he ran across Sabri to volley in Sionko's brilliant right wing cross. The Czechs were not content to sit on their lead and went looking for goal number three. Polak collected from a throw in and took out two Turks with a great reverse pass to Plasil, Plasil squared to Jarolim and he played a pass out wide to the excellent Sionko, Sionko let the ball roll into the box before centring to Plasil who slammed a first time shot against Volkan's right post, Emre Asik sliced the ball up into the air and almost beheaded Polak on the follow up. Three minutes later Arda gave the Turks a lifeline. On the half way line Altintop turned onto a pass, skipped over a tackle and flicked the ball out wide to Sabri, he made a diagonal run between two defenders onto Sabri's return pass and his centre rolled past six players before landing invitingly at Arda's feet, he struck a low first time shot which beat Cech at his near post, he should have tipped it out for a corner. Turkey won a throw in 20 yards from goal. Altintop thumped a cross into the box and Cech, under no pressure, jumped and tried to catch the ball but dropped it at Nihat's feet leaving him with an empty net. With the match headed for penalties Nihat scored a sensational winner. Tuncay flicked on an 80 yard Volkan goal kick, Ujfalusi only cleared as far as Altintop who played a great disguised pass between three defenders to Nihat, he spun onto the ball and as Cech advanced off his line whipped a fantastic right foot shot in off the underside of the crossbar. In injury time Ujfalusi launched a longball into the box, Volkan ran off his line and punched the ball away from Koller, quickly got to his feet and did enough to put off Vlcek, who headed wide of an empty net then got in Koller's face and pushed him in the chest and he rolled over in apparent agony in full view of referee Frojdfeldt who had no option but to send him off. Tuncay put on the gloves but the Czech didn't have time to mount another attack.

Low on quality, at least until the last half hour, high on drama. One of the all time great comebacks. Cech is the new Dida. The giant Brazilian never recovered from the infamous flare throwing incident just as Cech has never recovered from that disgraceful foul by that dirty bastard Stephen Hunt. Cech was at fault for Turkey's first two goals. The Turks will be more than happy at the prospect of facing Croatia instead of Germany even without their brilliant goalkeeper.

Attendance : 30,000
Red Card : Volkan 92 (Turkey)
Assists : Grygera, Sionko, Altintop, n/a, Altintop