For all of Turkey’s come-from-behind magic over the past week and a half, they could not conjure enough of it to keep pace with Germany’s high-scoring drama in Basel today.
Jaochim Low and company scraped past a young and daring Turkish side 3-2 to secure a berth in the European championship title match for Sunday.
Turkey had run into roster trouble with injuries and suspensions coming into the match and fielded mostly a reserve side against their significantly better-rested opponents, but the Turkish youngsters did not hesitate to please manager Fatih Terim in the opening minutes of the match.
Kazim Kazim, formerly London-born Colin Kazim Richards, struck the cross-bar from ten yards out after receiving a brilliant cut-back pass from fellow striker Ayhan Akman in the 13th minute.
Then, in the 22nd minute, Turkey went up 1-0 when Ugor Boral scored his first international goal for his side. Sabri Sarioglu whipped up a short cross into the penalty box from the right touch-line and connected with Kazim Kazim, who half-volleyed a weak shot onto the cross-bar for the second time in ten minutes. This time, however, the Fenerbahce striker got vindication for his two efforts – Boral managed to sneak in behind his marker to tap in the rebound between Jens Lehmann’s legs for the goal.
Taking the lead so early in the match must have been a novel phenomenon for the Turks, who have until that point of the tournament only led for a team total of nine minutes in four matches. Germany equalized in the 26th minutes, just four minutes later, thanks to a break-away run from Lukas Podolski down the left wing and Bastian Schweinsteiger’s subsequent tap-in of Podolski’s cross.
In the second half, Turkey’s momentum died down, and Germany’s big guns, all but absent in the first half of play, began kicking into gear. In the 51st minute, Philippe Lahm made a dangerous run down the left-wing into the Turkish penalty box before being taken down by Sabri’s knee, but the Bayern Munich full-back did not receive a rightful penalty call from referee Massimo Busacca.
Then, in the 79th minute, Miroslav Klose latched onto a long diagonal cross from Philippe Lahm ten yards out and poked it past an oncoming keeper to put Germany up 2-1.
True to Turkey’s character, however, Sehmi Senturk put the Turks back on level terms just seven minutes later. Sabri wrecked Philippe Lahm near Turkey’s right corner flag and crossed into the six-yard box for Sehmi, who slipped the ball between Lehmann’s outstretched fingers and the near post, and the match looked to go into extra time.
In the final twist to what had been a breath-taking end-to-end match, though, Philippe Lahm rectified for his poor defense in injury time when he tore down the left wing and thundered a give-and-go through ball from Thomas Hitzlsperger into the roof of the Turkish net.
With just seconds left to spare, Germany gave Turkey a taste of its own medicine, sending a crushed Turkish side home after what had been a marvelous tournament for the under-dogs. In the meantime, the now six-time European championship finalists wait to face either Russia or Spain in the final set for Sunday.