24Haziran2008
Posted by admin under: Germany.
Joachim Löw believes it speaks volumes for the “continuity and good work” of German football that the Mannschaft are the only team to reach the semi-finals of UEFA EURO 2008™ having done likewise at the FIFA World Cup two years ago.‘Very special’
Four European countries contested those last-four ties – Germany falling to eventual winners Italy and France defeating Portugal – yet only the ever-reliable Germans are still in contention here. Les Bleus failed even to progress from their group while the Azzurri lost their quarter-final to Spain and Portugal were beaten by Germany. Löw, a wily deputy to Jürgen Klinsmann in 2006, said: “For a coach, it is something very special to be in a semi-final with your team. You don’t experience this every day. We are the only side from the semi-finals in 2006 to have reached the semis here. That speaks for continuity and good work.”
Relaxed
Löw was in relaxed mood at Germany’s base camp in Tenero on Monday, overseeing “an intensive training session” featuring all 23 of his players as Torsten Frings looks to have overcome a rib injury. “Having everyone involved helps to increase the excitement ahead of the semi-final,” said the 48-year-old, before turning his attention to Wednesday’s opponents at St. Jakob-Park in Basel. “Every team that are in the semis have proved their class over a number of games. The Turkish are euphoric and consequently dangerous once they get going. That’s why we have to be careful. For me, they are much more unpredictable than the Portuguese. It’s 50-50.”
Fighting spirit
Turkey will be depleted by injury and suspension, so may have to rely on their famed fighting spirit if they are to reach a first final. “We’ve seen how long they keep pushing before winning games,” continued Löw. “Therefore we have to concentrate fully until the final whistle regardless of the score. They always come back when nobody expects it, but we’re aware of this and will take measures to prevent it. We want to do everything we can to reach the final and certainly won’t be careless in our preparations.”
24Haziran2008
Posted by admin under: Germany; turkey.
Germany v Turkey may not appear a local derby, but in a way that is exactly what Wednesday’s UEFA EURO 2008™ semi-final in Basel resembles.Strong ties
Around seven million foreign citizens live in Germany, and two million of them are Turkish, with 400,000 others having similar roots. In the 1960s the booming West German economy produced a labour shortage, prompting a stream of Turkish arrivals. In reverse, four million German tourists flock to Turkish beaches annually. Ties are strong between the two countries, but the relationship has not always been easy between communities, as is often the case with mass immigration. Things have changed for the better though in recent years. Third and fourth-generation Turkish-Germans have founded successful companies in their new home country, creating jobs and making an important contribution to the gross national product. Integration is now strong.
Footballing links
Football has also played its part in bringing together the two cultures. Turkey squad members Hamit Altıntop and Hakan Balta were born in Germany, with hundreds of thousands of others of similar extraction playing at all levels. This has led the Turkish Football Association to open an office in Germany, scouting heavily for future Altıntops and Baltas, something which bore fruit in the 2005 UEFA European Under-17 Championship when Ludenscheid-born Nuri Şahin was the inspiration for Turkey’s triumph. Others of Turkish decent, such as Mehmet Scholl, have represented Germany while the German Sepp Pontiek played a crucial role in Turkey’s international rise when he was national coach, assisted by one Fatih Terim.
Indescribable scenes
In 2006, when Turkey failed to reach the FIFA World Cup finals, many Turkish-Germans started openly supporting the hosts for the first time, flying combined flags from their cars, homes and business. At UEFA EURO 2008™, they have been spoilt for choice. “I talked to my girlfried in Berlin,” said Germany defender Arne Friedrich after Turkey’s quarter-final win, “and she told me that the Turkish celebrations in the streets were indescribable. It will be a very special football party on Wednesday.” His sentiment has been shared by Turkish callers to German radio. “This will be the game of the century for us,” stated one.
All winners
About half a million people are expected to flock to the Fan Mile in Berlin on Wednesday night for the match. “It couldn’t have been better for Berlin than these two teams meeting,” said Fan Mile spokesman Michael Wirtz. Kenan Kolat, chairman of the Association of Turkish Communities in Germany added: “We are already in the final. By this, I mean Germany and Turkey. My car flies both flags. Germany is the fatherland, Turkey the motherland. Both are in our hearts and this is a positive way of showing it.”
24Haziran2008
Posted by admin under: turkey.
“We are now favourites again going into the semi-final and we all know that,” Germany’s Arne Friedrich declared on Sunday when considering the tie with Turkey. Semih Şentürk, who came off the bench to score Turkey’s equalisers against Switzerland and Croatia, retorted today: “Everybody thinks Germany are favourites against us. But it is only motivating us even more.”‘Unforgettable’
Forward Semih has won half of his eight caps at these finals and, with Nihat Kahveci’s injury-enforced departure from the squad, he seems certain to be used from the start on Wednesday at St. Jakob-Park. It was at this venue that he reignited Turkey’s campaign with his strike against the co-hosts just under a fortnight ago. He performed even greater heroics by scoring with the last kick of extra time against Croatia. He now admits that when Turkey fell behind moments before, he assumed they would be going home. “To be truthful, I thought the tournament was over for us,” he said. “But after their goal, our coach Fatih Terim told us to launch the ball forward. When the ball eventually dropped in front of me, I hit it, with the help of God, for one of my most unforgettable goals.”
Terim inspiration
The 25-year-old has made a habit of scoring as a substitute, not just for Turkey but for Fenerbahçe SK, most notably their UEFA Champions League first knockout round first-leg winner against Sevilla FC. With so many absentees, Terim does not have many options but to use Semih from the start in Basel, and the No9 is confident his coach can deliver. “Fatih Terim is the best coach I have ever worked with,” Semih said. “He is a great tactician and a great motivator for us. You can do your best with him. He gives us a lot of confidence and is patient with all of us.” He also promises that Turkey will try to avoid letting their opponents take the lead, as has happened in all four of their games here. “We will be confident in ourselves against Germany,” Semih said. “We know what we have achieved and we are proud of it. I think Germany will have some fear playing against us, because it is a one-off match and the loser will be going home.”
24Haziran2008
Posted by admin under: News; turkey.
Semih Senturk has scored both his UEFA EURO 2008 goals after coming off the bench but the Turkey forward has no qualms about starting Wednesday’s semi-final against Germany.
Semih looks poised to play in Basel given Turkey’s crippling injury and suspension problems, with main striker Nihat Kahveci ruled out of the tournament with a thigh complaint.
The 25-year-old Semih struck a second-half equaliser in the 2-1 group win over Switzerland in Basel before blasting in a last-gasp extra time leveller in the quarter-final with Croatia, which the Turks won 3-1 on penalties.
“I don’t think I play badly when I start a game, it’s just that I score goals as a substitute,” he told a news conference before Turkey training on Monday. “Of course every player wants to be in the starting XI and I always prepare myself to start.”
Nicknamed ‘Young Semih’ after coming through the Fenerbahce youth ranks and often being a substitute, he was top scorer in the Turkish league last season with 17 goals.
However, he said the strike against Croatia, which followed goalkeeper Rustu Recber’s punt into the box, put all his previous goals in perspective.
“Maybe I will never forget the Croatia goal for the rest of my life. I thought we were going out but then our coach Fatih Terim told us to hit long balls. It was like a miracle for me,” he said.
Semih’s cheeky smile and boyish good looks hide a sensitive side, especially when it comes to Terim.
“Our coach treats every player like he is their father,” he said. “When he comes to me he says ‘just play football, I know your talents’. He is the best coach I have ever worked with.”
12Haziran2008
Posted by admin under: News; turkey.
Turkey coach Fatih Terim has hailed the country’s new hero Arda Turan as a potential world-beater after the midfielder’s stoppage time winner ended Switzerland’s involvement in UEFA EURO 2008.
The Galatasaray star capped a man-of-the-match display with a dramatic late strike to seal Wednesday night’s 2-1 win at St Jakob-Park and Fatih revealed afterwards that he had long anticipated that the 21-year-old would thrive on football’s biggest stages.
“I know him from my time at Galatasaray. He’s one of my old students if I can put it like that,” Fatih said.
“If anything I had expected him to progress more than he has done. He is very talented but he needs to continue to improve his stamina. If he can do that, I think he can be one of the most important players in Europe.”
Fatih also paid tribute to Semih Senturk, whose introduction as part of a double substitution at half-time paid off when he headed in to cancel out Hakan Yakin’s opener for the Swiss.
“The substitutions were successful. Semih is a goalscorer, that’s what we expect him to do and he did not let us down. You know when he comes on he will make something happen.”
Just as it seemed the co-hosts had done enough to stay alive in the competition, Arda broke clear on the left, cut inside and beat goalkeeper Diego Benaglio from the edge of the area with the help of a deflection off the boot of centreback Patrick Muller.
It was cruel for the Swiss, who were left to count the cost of failing to take the chances they had to kill off the Turks long before the dramatic denouement of a match that came close to being abandoned after a torrential downpour left the players slithering about dangerously in the first half.
“It is a wonderful feeling,” Fatih admitted. “The players needed this for their confidence and I congratulate them on their incredible effort.”
Turkey can now join group A leaders Portugal in the quarter-finals by beating the Czech Republic in their final game and Fatih added: “This win has given us a lot of confidence for the last game. Today is the begininng of the EURO for us. It was not easy, the conditions were difficult and Switzerland are a very strong team, playing at home. So it was an important win.”
Hakan, one of three players in the Swiss side with family roots in Turkey, was a constant threat but the veteran playmaker also wasted two glorious chances to claim a second goal for his side.
“It is hard to find the words to say how terribly disappointed we are,” Hakan said. “The weather played a role, it was a bit of a lottery in the first half and in the end the luckier of the two sides won.”