English
EURO 2008: Switzerland eliminated by Turkey
 Turkey shattered Swiss dreams of qualifiying for the Euro 2008 quarter finals, beating them 2-1. In the Group A, Portugal already qualified thanks to its win against the Czech Republic earlier the same day. |
Arda Turan ended Switzerland’s interest in Euro 2008 in heartbreaking fashion as a last-minute breakaway goal gave Turkey a 2-1 win here on Wednesday.
Just as it seemed the co-hosts had done enough to stay alive in the competition, the midfielder broke clear on the left, cut inside and beat goalkeeper Diego Benaglio from the edge of the area with the help of a cruel deflection off the boot of centreback Patrick Muller.
It was harsh on the Swiss but they had only themselves to blame having squandered the chances to kill off the Turks long before the dramatic denouement.
Hakan Yakin, one of three players in the Swiss side with family roots in Turkey, had given Jakob Kuhn’s side a first-half lead in treacherous conditions.
But the veteran playmaker also wasted two glorious chances to claim a second goal for his side, who were pegged back when substitute Semih Senturk headed in an equaliser just before the hour mark.
The result means group A favourites Portugal are assured of their place in the quarter-finals while Turkey will battle the Czech Republic for the right to join them in the last eight.
Portugal’s victory over the Czechs earlier in the evening had simplified matters for the Swiss, who kicked off knowing defeat would mean the end of their tournament.
Injury had taken its toll on both sides, with the co-hosts deprived of captain and leading goalscorer Alexander Frei and his usual strike partner, Marco Streller, with the result that Hakan was partnered in attack by the 19-year-old Eren Derdiyok.
Turkey were missing regular captain Emre Belozoglu and key defender Gokhan Zan for what was the first meeting between the two countries since their play-off for a place at the last World Cup ended in a mass brawl.
The pre-match suggestions that that was all water under the bridge was belied by the ferocity of the early exchanges but the water deposited in the first-half downpour drew the sting from the encounter.
It was the Swiss who adapted better to the water-logged surface, thanks largely to the marshalling of Gokhan Inler.
Don’t miss:
%RELATEDPOSTS%
The midfielder was first to test Volkan Demirel’s handling in the difficult conditions, with a skidding long-range effort, and it was his crossfield pass that gave Hakan the opportunity to force the Turkish goalkeeper into a smart save at his near post.
Volkan also did well to keep out Tranquillo Barnetta’s free-kick before Arda struck the woodwork at the other end, although the Turkish midfielder knew little about it as Diego Benaglio’s punched clearance from Nihat Kahveci’s free-kick rebounded off his head and against the post.
With just over half an hour gone, the direct Swiss approach paid off. Philippe Senderos’s forward punt landed in the Turkish box and with the sodden turf stopping the ball, Derdiiyok was able to skip round the outrushing Volkan and square across the saturated goalmouth for Hakan to tap in at the back post.
Three minutes later, Hakan was guilty of the miss of the tournament after Valon Behrami’s low cross from the right found him in an almost identical position. Astonishingly, the most technically gifted player on the pitch contrived to slice the ball wide from barely three yards out.
Such a flagrant miss was always like to prove costly and Turkey, who switched to a three-man forward line with the introduction of Semih at the break, capitalised on the let-off 11 minutes into the second half.
Nihat swung in a cross from the left and Semih was able to rise unchallenged to head the ball past Benaglio from close range.
With seven minutes left, Hakan had another clear sight of goal but side-footed straight at Volkan and, with the hosts straining for the winner, it was Turkey who were to make their superior finishing count at the death. Source: France24
More Top News
Hollywood heavyweights Robert De Niro and Al Pacino reunited on the red carpet in New York Wednesday night for the premiere of their new crime thriller “Righteous Kill” — their first film together since making 1995’s “Heat.”
The movie also stars
The Pakistani Army has been given orders to retaliate against any unilateral strike by the Afghanistan-based US troops inside the country.
Army Spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas confirmed the orders in a brief interview with Geo News on late Thursday night.
The
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says he will not accept military action or new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear activities.
“We should not take any unilateral steps. It is not acceptable to opt for a military scenario. It would be dangerous,”
As the world marks the seventh anniversary of 9/11, some European experts say security improvements in the US have been undercut by fairly basic mistakes. Among the remedies is more trust in America’s laws and allies.
Seven years after the attacks
David Miliband has allegedly come in for a rather undiplomatic tongue-lashing from his Russian counterpart.
The Foreign Secretary was apparently given a furious dressing down by Sergei Lavrov over the telephone.
Mr Miliband’s criticism of Russia’s recent incursion into Georgia is believed
PIETERMARITZBURG, South Africa - A South African judge ruled Friday that prosecutors were wrong to charge ANC President Jacob Zuma with corruption, effectively clearing way for the 66-year-old former freedom fighter to become the country’s next president.
Judge Chris Nicholson’s ruling
Thailand’s political turmoil deepened Friday when the ruling coalition failed to turn up to parliament to reelect leader Samak Sundaravej as prime minister.
Lawmakers from the six-party coalition did not attend an emergency session of parliament called to choose a prime minister, three days after a court stripped Samak of power for accepting payments for hosting
Feeds