Fri, Jun 27, 2008 page24

• Germany grab late victory over Turkey

  DESTINATION VIENNA Turkey flirted with glory, but in the end it was Germany who battled into the final with a last-gasp 3-2 victory in Basel

  • AFP
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  Defender Philipp Lahm's late strike put three-time European champions Germany in Sunday's Euro 2008 final and sealed a 3-2 win to knock out injury-ravaged Turkey on Wednesday night.

  Lahm’s 90th-minute goal made sure Vienna will be Germany’s final destination after Turkey’s Semih Senturk had forced an equalizer just four minutes from time to make it 2-2 to set up another dramatic finish.

  Germany striker Miroslav Klose had nudged his side into the lead on 79 minutes after Bastian Schweinsteiger’s first-half goal had canceled out Ugur Boral’s early strike as Turkey had taken a shock lead.

  

  Miroslav Klose, third left, heads in Germany's second goal past Turkey goalkeeper Recber Ruestue, left, and midfielder Mehmet Topal, second left, during their Euro 2008 semi-final match at the St Jakob Park Stadium in Basel, Switzerland, on Wednesday.

  PHOTO: EPA

  This was Germany’s first win over Turkey since May 1992 and Fatih Terim’s battered side used their never-say-die spirit forced the Germans to work hard.

  “It is an immense happiness that I am feeling,” the 48-year-old Loew said.

  “That was a battle in which we have expended a lot of energy. We weren’t very good in the first-half and in the second we weren’t that good either, but we gritted our teeth and we wanted the victory,” he said.

  

  A security officer tries to catch a pro-Tibetan activist on the pitch during the semi-final match between Germany and Turkey in Basel, Switzerland, on Wednesday.

  PHOTO: EPA

  For Terim it was a case of so near, but so far.

  “I am very sad to have got so close to the final and not made it,” said the 54-year-old, who guided Galatasaray to the UEFA Cup trophy ahead of Arsenal in 2003.

  Having reached Basel’s St Jakob-Park semi-final by forging a reputation as the tournament’s come-back kings with last-gasp wins over Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Croatia, Turkey threatened Germany with the same treatment.

  Terim had said he wanted to put his team on the map and their battling spirit has reminded the soccer world again what Turkey can do having reached the 2002 World Cup semi-final.

  Turkey were without the banned quartet of keeper Volkan Demirel, Middlesbrough’s Tuncay Sanli, Arda Turan, who scored their last gasp winner against the Swiss, and Emre Asik.

  And captain Nihat Kahveci, whose pair of late goals sank the Czech Republic, was missing with a thigh injury.

  In contrast, Germany had all 23-men fit and ready to go having responded to their shock 2-1 defeat by Croatia in the group stages by knocking-out much-fancied Portugal with an impressive 3-2 defeat last Thursday.

  Germany coach Joachim Loew played the same line-up and 4-5-1 formation he had used against Portugal for the semi-final, but it was the Turks who dominated the first-half chances with Kazim Kazim driving a shot against the bar on 14 minutes.

  And Turkey took a deserved lead when Kazim again hit the cross-bar before Fenerbahce’s Ugur Boral fired at Jens Lehmann who watched helplessly as the ball trickled over the line on 22 minutes.

  Germany’s reply was immediate as attacking midfielder Lukas Podolski slid in a cross which Portugal’s tormentor Bastian Schweinsteiger flicked into the net on 26 minutes for his second goal in two games.

  Lehmann was in action again as he punched clear Hamit Altintop’s free-kick just after the half-hour mark.

  In a much-tighter second half, Turkey kept the pressure on with Altintop bossing the midfield against his Bayern Munich colleagues in Germany’s ranks.

  But the break through came in the 79th minute when Bayern striker Klose rose above three Turkish defenders and goalkeeper Recber Rustu to score his second goal in two games.

  Turkey pulled a late goal out of the bag for the fourth time in succession when Semih slipped marker Per Mertesacker to stab home Sabri Sarioglu’s cross on 86 minutes to equalize.

  But Lahm put German fans in seventh heaven with his 90th-minute strike to send his side to Vienna.
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