Saturday, June 21, 2008

Croatia 1 - 1 Turkey (1-3 Pen)

Turkey clawed through the ranks, and finally made it through in their first European Championship semi-final, at the expense of undefeated Croatia.
A goalless draw after regular time meant a heart-stopping 30 minutes more of game time. With one minute to go on the referee's watch, Ivan Klasnic got the Croats roaring after a textbook header, following Luka Modric's cross.
Turkey, however, played on the offensive, and repeating history, scored another last-gasp goal when Semih Senturk sent the ball deflecting off a defender and into the goal.
Penalty kicks.
Croatia's Luka Modric sent the ball careening wide off target, much to the dismay of their fans.
Arda Turan, who has scored two for Turkey before, eased the ball past Stipe Pletikosa, earning a 0-1 lead.
Dario Srna sent Rustu Recber diving wrong, tying the shootout.
Semih Senturk, who scored the equalizer, sent the fans screaming again, 1-2 for Turkey.
Ivan Rakitic, like his compatriot, missed his shot, sending the Turks rejoicing
Hamit Altintop kept his composure, sending the ball into the net after a fine run.
A final save from Mladen Petric ended the shootout 1-3 for the Turks, and sending them into the semis against Germany.

Now, they're hoping for a miracle, after 4 of their first XI are suspended, after gaining bookings. Volkan Demirel is still suspended after a red card a few days ago, and so are Arda Turan, Emre Asik, and Tuncay Sanli after gaining bookings in the game.

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