Croatia

Written by Angela Asante

Does any team do it better than Turkey?

The fact is that the Turkish don’t let things happen, they make them happen. They’ve got luck on their side and the willingness of fighting until their very last breath.

“Croatia are going crazy” is what Nikko Kranjcar said before the match and it could have been it when Klasnic broke the dead-lock one minute before the end of proceedings.

But brave soldiers never give up and if they were strong enough to push the game into extra time, it wasn’t time for them to bow down their heads.

“Time has no meaning” and Semhi proved it when he equalized with a superb volley at the very last kick of the game.

This miraculous come back indeed left the Croatians completely stunned and perhaps this had a psychological effect on them: they missed 3 spot kicks out of 4; the last one was saved by the Turkish goal keeper who became the hero of the night.

So 1 – 1 (3 – 1) on penalties was the final score line which sees Turkey in the semis of the Euro 2008 Championship.

The Red army have won another battle.

They certainly had less support than the Croatian team whose fans turned out in a great number to storm the streets of Vienna, but their passion for soccer and willingness seems immeasurable.

The Turkish have accomplished yet another step of their mission. They beat co-host Switzerland in the last quarter of the game, came from behind to shock the Czechs and won a tough encounter against Croatia on Friday night.

Can Germany stop the brave warriors of Turkey from reaching the “top of the hill” which is the final?

Angela Asante
Euro2008TV Writer.

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This game was a high intensity match with a bit of everything. There were goals from both sides, some great saves, some big misses, quite a few yellow cards to both sides and a straight red card for the germans. A huge upset for the Germans overall. The Germans failed to impose their authority on the game and the Croatians had a beautiful passing and tackling game. The Croatians make it their 2nd win over Germany in the last 10 years.

View the goals here:

The Croatian Coach (former player) Slaven Bilić plays guitar for Rawbau but wrote the lyrics for their latest effort. A keen fan of heavy metal, and Metallica in particular, the former defender played down the significance of his new song, saying: “I don’t think it’s a new fan anthem – it’s just a fan song. I really adore music but I have to say that football is my life.”