Turkey lived up to their billing as the comeback kings with a 3-1 penalty shoot-out win over Croatia on Friday to put them into the Euro 2008 semi-finals.
The spot-kick lottery was called for after the sides were inseparable at 1-1 after extra time, both of those goals coming in the dying minutes of what up to then had been a forgettable affair.
Ivan Klasnic put Croatia into a 119th minute lead — for his second in successive matches — only for Turkey to level in the first minute of time added on thanks to substitute Semih Senturk.
Croatia then fell apart, with Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic shooting wide and Mladen Petric having his penalty saved by Turkey keeper Recber Rustu, who turned from villain to hero having made a terrible mistake to gift the Croats their goal.
Turkey, making their first appearance in the semi-finals, face Germany in Basel on Wednesday.
Turkey coach Fatih Terim, who was in charge when Turkey lost 1-0 to Croatia in Euro 96 in the group stages, was ecstatic.
“What has happened to us is unique in our history,” said Terim, who was not in charge when Turkey made the 2002 World Cup semi-finals. “We have become one of the great footballing nations.”
“Our people can rejoice. And if our people are proud of us then we are proud of them,” said Terim, whose nickname “The Emperor” is taking on a realistic hue.
His Croat counterpart Slaven Bilic was remarkably calm after seeing his dreams dashed in a matter of seconds.
“It’s incredible, but that is why football is the most beautiful sport in the world,” said the 39-year-old, who had to mask his own emotions at the end of the match to console his distraught players.
“I congratulate Turkey, but we have beaten better opponents and the last two minutes I cannot begin to describe, both our goal and theirs and then penalties,” Bilic said. “The pain of this defeat will stay with me for a long time. It will haunt us forever.”
After Germany’s drama-laden first quarter-final win over Portugal the night before, this quarter-final was a big let down, with chances as rare as empty seats in the Ernst Happel Stadium.
Bilic fielded the same team that defeated Germany in the group stages, with only two players Danijel Panijec and Rakitic surviving from the side that lined up against Poland on Monday.
Turkey turned up at the Ernst Happel stadium with half a dozen of their first team missing through injury or suspension.
Veteran keeper Rustu came in for Volkan Demirel, sent off against the Czech Republic, and Terim also handed a start to London-born Kazim Kazim, who led the attack with Nihat Kahveci.
With so many absentees, another headache for Terim was that eight of his players were one booking away from missing the semi-final, should they make it.
Croatia will never know how they did not go into the lead in the 18th minute, Ivica Olic being guilty of a criminal miss.
Darijo Srna set up the move laying the ball on to Modric, who raced down the right of the box to cross for Olic, only for the Hamburg striker’s shot to hit the crossbar from only a couple of meters directly in front of goal.
To add insult to injury, Niko Kranjcar missed with his header from the rebound.
Tottenham Hotspur signing Modric summed up the mood of frustration, banging the Austrian turf repeatedly with his fist in frustration.
The Croats it was who looked more dangerous in the rare moments they were able to break the Turkish defense, with Rustu quick to deal with a Kranjcar effort in the 58th minute.
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