Comeback kings Turkey show again they will never, ever give up

Turkey were staring down the barrel of elimination at half-time of their second group game against Switzerland, trailing 1-0. But the Turks roused themselves after the break and turned it around to win 2-1 and stay alive.    Â

In the next match, an all-or-nothing clash against the Czech Republic, Turkey found themselves 2-0 down halfway through the second period but mounted a stunning rise from the ashes to turn that into a last gasp 3-2 win.

And that never say die spirit continued until the last minute of extra-time against Croatia.

Turkey had been second best during a largely dour affair, concentrating more on stifling the Croats rather than going for broke. Their resistance seemed to crumble in the 119th minute as Ivan Klasnic gave Croatia the lead but Turkey finally threw caution to the wind and charged up the other end straight from the kick-off for substitute Semih Senturk to crash home the equalizer with the last kick of the match.

Turkey coach Fatih Terim said this week their greatest strength was they never give up but even he must have feared it was all over with a minute left of extra time in Friday's quarter-final with Croatia.

Klasnic's goal seemed to have decided the game in favor of the Croatians, yet, unbelievably, there was still time for the absolute substantiation of Terim's faith when Senturk struck a stunning equaliser in the 122nd.

Then came the penalties and while the Turkish nerves never wavered - they converted three out of three - the Croats disintegrated and missed three of four to hand the semi-final spot to their opponents.

Turkey will face Germany in the semi-finals on Wednesday in Basel, Switzerland.

Turkey had reached the quarter-finals once before in 2000 in Belgium and the Netherlands.

DAMAGE ASSESSMENT

"This is football; you should never give up until the final whistle. I share my philosophy with my players, I tell them to keep going right to the end," Terim said after the match.

Turkey's win came at a high cost - already beset by injuries Terim now has to put a team together to play Germany in Basel without Emre Asik, Tuncay Sanli and Arda Turan due to suspension, as well as first choice goalkeeper Volkan Demirel though they are appealing the second match of the suspension, while Nihat Kahveci left the pitch clutching his groin.

Kahveci, who came off three minutes from the end of extra-time, will miss Germany game, the Dogan News Agency reported on Saturday.

Nihat could be out for the rest of the tournament, it added.

"I have to go back to the hotel now for some damage assessment," Terim said with a resigned smile.

"I’ve got three players suspended and some injured, well have to see about all that. If only we could have all the injured players back in the team.

"But even without them were being successful. We do seem to have that something special, and now we face giants Germany in the semi-finals.

"The important thing for us now though is rest."

He said he felt for the Croatian players who folded in the penalty shoot out, their morale and spirit broken.

"Of course to lose an opportunity to win a match in such a short time is a mental blow to a team. The shock must have had some impact on the team. It wasn’t easy for them. If you look at our adventure here we always come from behind.

"Let’s hope against Germany we can start in front and enjoy ourselves that way for a change!"

"We again showed that were a team thats certainly not yet mature but on the right track," gasped Hamit Altintop who was picked as the man of the match by the UEFA Technical Team. Â

"It's the third time we’ve made a comeback. If we carry on like this, everything is possible," Altintop said.

Altintop, who plays for Germany's Bayern Munich, also said a win against Germany was on the cards.

"Our team can play well not just against Germany but any team and win," he said. "It is important to believe in ourselves, and if we continue doing that there is no reason to be afraid of any opponent."

Turkey fans took to the streets in force on Friday night in Istanbul, lighting fireworks and chanting through back alleys as they celebrated their team's victory over Croatia at Euro 2008.

Turks celebrated the victory all over the world, mainly in Germany, as fireworks exploded in the sky over Berlin and other German cities when the match ended, with thousands of Turkey supporters pouring into the streets for spontaneous late-night celebrations.

HAUNTING DEFEAT

Croatia's players and management will never get over their penalty shootout defeat by Turkey, coach Slaven Bilic was quoted by Reuters as saying.

"This is a match that not only we will not forget but that will haunt us for the rest of our lives," he said after the game.

"It was a shock for us, it seemed as if it was all over, and then we concede a goal and go on to the penalty shootout, that was certainly a psychological advantage for the Turks," Bilic said. Â

"I can't say what was on the players minds but they were not focused on the shootout, mentally they must still have been in extra time and seeing that conceded goal again. That must have affected them," he said.

"I can't blame any of the players who missed. Those who stepped up to take the spot kicks were the ones who were strong enough to do it," he also said.

Croatia trio Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Mladen Petric missed their spot kicks.

Bilic added there were players who didn't want to take the penalties, but he has no complaints against them either.

GERMAN REACTION

"We've seen now that Turkey just never give up," Germany defender Arne Friedrich said on Saturday. "In terms of skill and the quality of their build-up play, Croatia were the better team but you can never write Turkey off," he was quoted by Reuters as saying.

Friedrich plays for Hertha Berlin and he said the semi-final would produce a special atmosphere back in the German capital.

"As everyone knows there are a lot of people of Turkish origin in Berlin and everyone is looking forward to it," said Friedrich. "It will be a huge party zone, and hopefully a peaceful one.

"I prefer to play Turkey because I think they're a better style for us... Turkey haven't been so convincing and look less of a threat than Croatia. I'm very optimistic," he added.

Striker Miroslav Klose agreed that the three-times winners would look forward to the next match with real optimism.

"We are very well prepared to play Turkey," the striker said. "If you saw Turkey play they have great will power and determination. It's important for us to match that."