Source: Xinhua
06-18-2008 16:41
Special Report: 2008 European ChampionshipsANKARA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Turkey coach Fatih Terim has said his team is prepared to stay the course at the Euro 2008 championship in Austria and Switzerland. But to accomplish this feat, the Turks must beat Croatia in Friday's quarterfinal, Germany or Portugal in the semifinals and the team that makes it to the final, local Today's Zaman reported on Wednesday.
First things first: Turkey has to deal with the Croats on Friday. But this is a tall order indeed. Croatia may be a small country, but it is in fact a European superpower soccer-wise. The Croats finished atop their qualifying group, wrapping up play late last year with victory over England at Wembley, which eliminated the most overrated team in Europe and the world from Euro qualifying.
At the ongoing Euro 2008, the Croats finished with a perfect record in Group B. On Monday Striker Ivan Klasnic struck early in the second half to give Croatia to a 1-0 victory over Poland, completing an excellent record of three wins out of three in the group matches. The Croats had previously beaten co-host Austria and "mighty" Germany.
This is the team Turkey must beat on Friday to continue its Euro2008 journey. The Turks lost their Euro 96 opener to Croatia 1-0 in England and finished the tournament without scoring a goal, but coach Terim dismissed that loss as nothing more than history. "The situation is much different than how it was in 1996," Terim said Monday.
And apart from Croatia's form, the Turks have also been hit by a string of injuries and suspensions. Turkey has seven players injured or suspended ahead of Friday's match. Galatasaray defender Emre Gungor, carried off in the second half on Sunday, is the biggest concern.
He has a calf strain and may miss the rest of the finals. Captain Emre Belozoglu has been sidelined with a hamstring problem since the opening defeat by Portugal and midfield player Tumer Metin has a groin strain, while defenders Servet Cetin and Gokhan Zan are also convalescing.
To add to Turkey's woes first-choice keeper Volkan Demirel is out of the quarterfinal after he was sent off for shoving Czech forward Jan Koller in injury time. Defensive midfielder Mehmet Aurelio is also suspended after picking up his second yellow card of the tournament.
Injuries and suspensions not withstanding, Terim remains undaunted and the no-nonsense coach is optimistic the Turks can clear any obstacle that stands in their way.
"Nothing is impossible and miracles take time," said the coach on Monday. "I think we have seen this miracle at the Euro 2008 championships."
Editor:Zhang Ning
