Semih Senturk did it again. He guided the ball exquisitely between Lehmann and the goalpost for a 86th minute goal after Sabri turned Philip Lahm inside out at the sideline and then slid the ball across. Semih was at hand to beat out Lehmann and Metzleder. The magnificent Turks had stormed back after they familiarly looked defeat in the face from a Miroslav Klose goal in the 80th minute. The match looked like it was heading to extra time.
The loss of TV transmission at crucial intervals of the second half added to the tension and the fast changing scoreline had to be updated by the studio crew. We could not get to see Klose and Semih’s goal live but the link came back in time to see Philip Lahm’s dagger in the waning minutes of the match to dash Turkish hopes. Lahm atoned for his embarassing mistake by speeding down the left flank as he left Kazim Richard sprawling on the turf. Hitzlsperger was at hand to receive his pass and in a clever 1-2, relayed it back to Lahm who had continued his run. Lahm finished off with a curling right footer that Rustu had no chance of stopping. The Turks were caught napping and Mehmet Topal, the makeshift center back could not react in time. The link went dead again. Fatih Terim’s thin roster, attenuated by injuries and suspension, could not pull of a miracle this time.
The most crucial play was the one that Rustu gambled on and lost. Lahm, from the left floated a cross towards Klose and Rustu, from a full 10 yards rushed out. His effort was a nano second too late as Klose headed the ball into an empty goal. If Rustu had held his ground he would have had an easy collection.
The Turks were everywhere in the first half as the Germans looked like the makeshift team. Under siege, the Germans cracked. From a Kazim Richards floater which hit the cross bar, the ball fell to Ugur Boral. Fortunately for him, his weak shot caught Lehmann off guard, and the ball squeezed past the goal line. The Turkish celebration was shortlived as four minutes later the Germans in their only good moment of the first half came back when a Podolski drive across the goal saw Schweinsteiger reaching before Topol and flicking the ball past Rustu.
Fatih Terim’s remaining men rallied magnificently. Mehmet Aurelio did a fantastic job reducing Michael Ballack to a bystander. Kazim Richards was a force on the right. He could have easily had two goals if the crossbar had not come in the way. Semih Senturk with his guile slipped past the twin towers of Mertesacker and Metzelder with ease. Ugur Boral resurrected Tuncay with his hard running, down the left to attack and falling back on defense. Gokan Zan provided a physical presence in the middle. Hamit Altintop although not quite having the game as he did against Croatia, marshalled the midfield, to enjoy an advantage in first half possession.
This Euro shall be remembered for the Turks and their indomitable team. They not only played with courage and an unflagging spirit but they did so with a sparkling display of creative and attacking soccer. They might have lost this match but they won the admiration of milions around the world. And which team would not love to have such passionate fans engulfing the stadium with chants of Turkiye Turkiye. We know you will be back.