Turkey lived up to their billing as comeback kings with a 3-1 penalty shoot-out win over Croatia on Friday to put them into the UEFA EURO 2008 semi-finals.
The spot-kick lottery was called for after the side's were inseparable at 1-1 after additional 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 stoppage time thanks to substitute Semih Senturk.
Croatia then fell apart, with Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic shooting wide and Mladen Petric having his spot-kick saved by Turkey keeper Rustu Recber, who turned from villain to hero having made a terrible mistake to gift the Croats their goal.
Turkish delight
The Turks, making their first appearance in the semi-finals, face Germany in Basel on Wednesday. Coach Fatih Terim, who was in charge when Turkey lost 1-0 to Croatia in EURO 1996 in the group stages, was justifiably ecstatic.
"What has happened to us is unique in our history," said Terim, who was not in charge when Turkey reached the 2002 FIFA 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," added 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.
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