Turkey, decimated by injuries and suspensions, face a race against time to patch up their war-weary soldiers for Wednesday’s Euro 2008 semi-final clash with Germany.
   The Turks owe their first ever last four appearance to Friday’s remarkable quarter-final victory over Croatia when for the third time in this competition they came back from the dead.
   Up to the 119th minute this game had proved largely forgettable until it burst into life with first Ivan Klasnic’s header and then Turkish substitute Semih Senturk’s equaliser in the final seconds to force penalties.
   Croatia, their hearts broken having seen victory snatched from under them, were wiped out 3-1 in the spot-kick lottery.
   But Turkey coach Fatih Terim’s elation at this third get out of jail win in the competition will have been tempered by the number of his squad unable to face the Germans in Basel due to suspension.
   Number one keeper Volkan Demirel, handed a two match ban after being sent off against the Czech Republic, is out as are Tuncay Sanli, Arda Turan and Emre Asik, this trio picking up their second yellow cards in Vienna. He also has injury concerns with defender Emre Gungor missing Friday’s heroics and out of the tournament after picking up a calf injury in the come from behind 3-2 group win over the Czech Republic.
   And captain Nihat Kahveci left the pitch clutching his groin late on in Vienna.
   Turkey’s medical staff will be earning their keep as they tend to the wounded and try to best revive the fit after this marathon of a quarter-final played in stamina-sapping heat at the Ernst-Happel stadium.
   ‘I still haven’t been able to do any damage assessment,’ said Terim. ‘Emre Asik, Tuncay Sanli and Arda Turan are all suspended (for Germany) because they were booked here, and we have injured players.
   ‘I think this team could do even better. If only we could have the injured players back, but even without them, we are special. There is something special about this team.’
   Reflecting on Turkey’s ability to overcome seemingly insurmountable hurdles in their charmed run at this Euro, Terim said: ‘We have always come back and that’s not easy. ‘Let’s hope against Germany we can take the lead.’
   A major factor in Turkey’s journey to the semi-finals has been the never-say-die attitude Terim has instilled in his troops.
   He reflected: ‘After Croatia scored, I saw players lying on the pitch and I told Arda to get the ball out of the goal and start again.
   ‘I wasn’t giving up. We could have lost but there were things we could do about it.’
   ‘We seem to come back from the dead. We always do the hard thing, not the easy thing, which shows how good my team are. When you have footballers like this, you just don’t lose.’
   Croatia coach Slaven Bilic reckons the Turks face a race against time to recover in time for Germany.
   ‘Having one less rest day than Germany is a handicap and extra time and penalties are also exhausting.
   They have a number of injured players and suspensions, but some might come back and they won’t give up.’

Italy go into today’s Euro 2008 quarter-final against Spain knowing that their group stage form has made the world champions look like underdogs.
   Spain go into the Vienna match on a roll, looking to extend their unbeaten run to 20 games after winning all three group matches - albeit with decreasing authority - and with their first team raring to go after a week’s rest.
   In contrast, 2006 World Cup winners Italy limped over the line having been on the brink of an early exit against Romania after their introductory 3-0 thrashing by Netherlands.
   But that all counts for nothing now as, apart from a couple of Italy suspensions, the teams start again with a clean slate.
   Spain certainly will not be making any assumptions after so often looking the business in the group stage only to quickly fall away in the knockout rounds.
   ‘This team have learned a lot since the World Cup,’ said midfielder Xabi Alonso in reference to their charge through the early stages in 2006 that ended abruptly with defeat by France.
   ‘We were a young side then and now we know what these competitions are like.’
   A team tagged as ‘perennial under-achievers’ have looked good so far. Their neat-passing midfielders have created chance after chance for strikers David Villa and Fernando Torres, who took plenty of them in a 4-1 win over Russia and a last-gasp 2-1 success against Sweden.
   The reserves then stepped in to beat Greece 2-1 in their final game. Italy, who rounded off the group stage with a 2-0 win over France, make something of a habit of starting slowly but coming to the boil when it really matters.
   Like Germany, who shrugged off a group stage defeat by Croatia to beat Group A winners Portugal on Thursday, Italy will wipe from their minds that Dutch drubbing and the Romania draw, when only Gianluigi Buffon’s late penalty save kept them in the tournament.
   Their pedigree demands that they reach the knockout stages and, unlike the nervous Spaniards who get nose bleeds at the mere mention of the last four, once there they settle comfortably and plan for the final.
   The tough route in, however, has cost them heavily with suspensions for midfielders Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo.
   Experienced pair Massimo Ambrosini and Mauro Camoranesi should replace them and though neither has the relentless destructive appetite of Gattuso nor the class of Pirlo they are both more ambitious in getting forward.
   Antonio Cassano is likely to start alongside Luca Toni up front but though it is not a pairing to strike fear into the heart of a top international defence, Toni does carry an aerial threat against a relatively small Spanish back four.
   Italy’s defence has sorely missed injured captain Fabio Cannavaro, for his organisation as much as his talent. today, their reshuffled, makeshift rearguard will have be 100 per cent concentrated to deal with the movement and probing runs of Spain’s midfield and attack.

In an all-South Asian clash, Dhaka Abahani face Nepal Police Club in the inaugural Group A match of the AFC Presidents Cup at the MPPJ Stadium in Kuala Lumpur at 2:00pm BST today.
   The B league champions will have to produce their best to make a winning start as the former champions Regar Tadaz of Tajikistan will be their next opponents on Tuesday. Tajik powerhouse Regar Tadaz won the inaugural title three years back with a 3-0 win over Dordoi Dynamo of Kyrgyzstan in Kathmandu.
   Mahendra Police of Nepal, renamed as Nepal Police Club in 2007, were the semi-finalists in the last year’s edition. Pakistan WAPDA had played in the 2005 tournament but failed to clear the group stage, winning just one match out of three.
   Only two teams, two-time defending champions Dordoi-Dynamo and Turkmenistan’s Ashgabat, have sealed their places in the semi-finals and the winners of this group and the best second-placed team from among the three pools will fill the other two spots.
   The semi-finals and the final will be hosted by Kyrgyzstan from September 19-21, at the Spartak Stadium in Bishkek
   Abahani’s matches:
   June 22 – v Nepal Police Club (2:00pm BST)
   June 24 – v Regar Tadaz (4:30pm BST)
   June 26 – v Pakistan WAPDA (2:00pm BST)

Bangladesh moved into the final of the AHF Cup Hockey with a hardworking 2-1 win over Sri Lanka in the first semi-final at the Delta Stadium in Singapore on Saturday.
   Veteran midfielder Musa Miah put Bangladesh in front after 22 minutes with a field goal but Yunus Gazzali equalised for Sri Lanka in the 46th minute. Skipper Maksud Alam Habul slammed the match winner on 52 minutes and Bangladesh kept their fort unharmed till the end.
   Bangladesh take on Oman in the final today.
   All four semi-finalists – Bangladesh, Oman, Sri Lanka and Singapore – have qualified for the Asia Cup Hockey finals.

The 2nd Queens Cup Golf tournament was held at the Shahid Salauddin Cantonment at Ghatail, Tangail, on Saturday.
   In the senior group, Major General AKM Mujahiduddin, GOC of 19 infantry division and Tangail area commander, won the title. Major Morshed become best grosser, Lt Col Reza and Lt Col Monir were the 1st and 2nd runner-up respectively.
   In the junior group, Master Anaf clinched the championship, Master Tasvir earned the tag of best grosser and Master Intisar become runner-up.
   A total 51 golfers from different golf clubs of the country teed-off in the tournament.

Despite assurances from the Pakistan board that all is well, there are increasing signs that a number of players are considering boycotting September’s ICC Champions Trophy amid fears over their safety.
   ‘We’ve been hearing though the media that there may be concerns among some of the players about the Champions Trophy,’ Zakir Khan, the PCB’s director of cricket operations, said yesterday. ‘But we are not taking any of it seriously unless there is an official confirmation from the boards of those countries.’
   However, it emerges that England’s players are in close contact with their Australian counterparts, and the ICC appears to be facing the real possibility that the tournament, which is far from popular with players and public, could be hit by a wave of boycotts.
   ‘The Aussies have already come out and expressed their concerns,’ one senior England player was quoted as saying in the Daily Telegraph. ‘I’m not a big fan of going to Pakistan. I just hope it won’t be us players who get left to make the decision in the end.’
   Australia’s cricketers have also been expressing concerns. Earlier this year, Australia postponed a scheduled tour of Pakistan on safety grounds and the general view in the dressing room seems to be that the situation remains unaltered. ‘We don’t know if we’re going, and if we do go, we don’t know if individuals are going to pull out,’ Ricky Ponting said. ‘But what we know right now is, yes, there is some apprehension amongst some of the players and that was stated last summer. I don’t think that would have changed until now.’
   New Zealand are also among those watching with interest. Justin Vaughan, the chief executive of New Zealand Cricket, will fly to London next week to discuss his players’ concerns over touring Pakistan for a short ODI series just before the Champions Trophy.
   ‘If the Australians have got concerns, I’m sure a lot of other teams will as well,’ Daniel Vettori, their captain, admitted. ‘I was there when the bomb went off outside our hotel. Then I went back a year later and the security they put forward was immense, and almost overwhelming. I did feel safe throughout that time.’
   A security expert will travel to Pakistan next week and his report is expected to be submitted to the ECB and Cricket Australia soon after. Other boards may well look at the results with more than a passing interest.
   The official line from the ICC, underlined by bullish comments from its president, Ray Mali, is that all is well and there are no problems, but privately concerns are growing, not least because Sri Lanka is the back-up venue should Pakistan be deemed unsafe. Many players would only be marginally happier switching there given the country’s issues.

Xavier Marshall hit a sparkling 36 in 15 balls to lift West Indies to a seven-wicket victory over Australia in a rain-reduced Twenty20 International on Friday.
   The match was reduced to 11 overs per side after the start was delayed and Australia, put into bat by West Indies skipper Dwayne Bravo, made 97 for three.
   Debutant openers Shaun Marsh (29) and Luke Ronchi (36) gave the touring side a great start, putting on 57 for the first wicket inside six overs.
   Barbados fast bowler Kemar Roach made an impressive debut, getting rid of both openers in a spell of two for 29 in three overs.
   Bravo dismissed David Hussey for a duck in his vital two-over spell of one for 12 which helped slow Australia near the end of their innings.
   A large crowd, bigger than at any stage during the recent test match, lapped up the home side’s reply with Marshall
   setting the tone by pulling the first ball from Brett Lee for a big six.
   In the second over Mitchell Johnson went for 24 including two sixes and a four from Marshall before William Perkins produced an extraordinary shot, going down on one knee to clip the pacey Lee to fine leg for four.
   After both openers were run out, Bravo came in and made 28 in 15 balls including a six to win the match with 11 balls remaining.
   Australia captain Ricky Ponting said the game was the shortest international match he had ever played in but that his team had fallen short in their innings.
   ‘We thought 100-110 would have been a good score and as it turned out that would have been a good total,’ Ponting told reporters.
   ‘West Indies did very well and took it to our opening bowlers and never looked back from that.
   ‘We have been outplayed today. Ronchi and Marsh got us off to a good start though—they are two good players we are going to see a bit more of in years to come,’ he added.
   The teams begin a series of five one-day internationals on Tuesday in St Vincent.

A look at the likely formations, strengths and weaknesses of Spain and Italy who meet in the quarter-finals of Euro 2008 at Ernst Happel Stadium today:
   
   Formations
   Before the tournament Spain coach Luis Aragones experimented with 4-1-4-1 in an attempt to squeeze all his midfield talent on to the pitch but has settled on 4-1-3-2 here and it has paid off.
   Italy, despite injuries and poor performances, look poised to stick with 4-4-2 having started the finals with 4-3-3.
   
   Strengths
   Spain have an embarrassment of riches in midfield with half a dozen fast-moving, neat-passing players who are virtually interchangeable.
   In David Villa, who has four goals from two games, and Fernando Torres they have a mobile front duo who compliment each other perfectly.
   Italy’s biggest asset is faith in their own ability and system, a confidence they are one of the game’s superpowers who get it right when they need to. They also have a good goalkeeper in Gianluigi Buffon and a high-quality midfield.
   
   Weaknesses
   Not much of a ‘plan B’ to the Spanish attack and if an opposing defence gets a grip on their probing runners they can be left short of ideas and there will never be much return from lobbing high balls into the box.
   At the back too there is little height and they look vulnerable in the air.
   Italy looked hopelessly disorganised at the back in their opening defeat by Netherlands and though coach Roberto Donadoni has made changes, the absence of Fabio Cannavaro, and his organisational talent, is being felt.
   
   Defence
   Keeper Iker Casillas sets the tone for a well-drilled unit where Carles Puyol is the inspirational presence. He is a great reader of the game and massively committed but he and partner Carlos Marchena can expect an aerial examination from Luca Toni.
   After years with few changes to their back four, Italy’s defence has been all over the place here. Today’s likely centre backs Christian Panucci and Giorgio Chiellini are still a new pairing while Gianluca Zambrotta has been caught out badly at right back. Fabio Grosso’s overlapping runs on the left remain a threat though.
   
   Midfield
   Marcos Senna is a crafty holding midfielder for Spain who offers a mobile screen in front of the back four, though Xabi Alonso is pressing for a place after an excellent display against Greece.
   The loss of suspended Gennaro Gattuso is impossible to cover for Italy but Mauro Camoranesi and Massimo Ambrosini, likely to come in for him and the banned Andrea Pirlo, are happier to push beyond the halfway line.
   Much depends on Daniele De Rossi, who needs to stamp his authority on the game.
   
   Attack
   Villa and Torres play off each other really well. Torres is the athlete who passes defenders with ease and can hit the byline like a winger. Villa is more of a predator but also dangerous with free kicks.
   Toni is strong in the air and a handful for any defender but Antonio Cassano is a trickier proposition and this is the ideal stage for him to make a name for himself.
   Alessandro Del Piero brings a classy presence to the bench but has looked below his best in his limited appearances so far.

The Croatian press were united in their grief for the national football side on Saturday following the team’s cruel quarter-final exit from Euro 2008 at the hands of Turkey in a penalty shootout on Friday.
   The Croats had taken the lead in the 119th minute only for the Turks to level in the second minute of time added on and then progress to the last four after a 3-1 win on penalties. ‘It is terrible, tragic, unbelievable!!’ cried daily newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija.
   ‘Croatia was the best side in a match which was more like a real battle, it was epic and a marathon,’ it continued.
   Like the two main newspapers Vecernji List and Jutarnji List, Dalmacija published on its front page a large photograph of Croat coach Slaven Bilic consoling the Kovac brothers, Robert and captain Niko.
   ‘We are inconsolable, but lets not despair. Because this team has a future and we can be justifiably proud of them,’ added the newspaper.
   The same photo on the front page of Vecernji is titled ‘HEADS HIGH!’ in capital letters.
   Other photographs published on the inside pages show the shock on the faces of the supporters both inside the Ernst-Happel Stadium in Vienna and in the main square in Zagreb.
   ‘Those damn seconds!’, yelled Vecernji. ‘That should have been a fairytale. One minute separated Croats from ecstasy. But the evening will remain one of the saddest of all time’, it wept whilst adding ‘the Croatians were pushed into the ravine by a sporting injustice’.
   ‘Our boys deserved to be in the semi-finals but football was transformed into a tragedy,’ deplored Vecernji. Jutarnji List said that the players would remain in their heart despite the desperate finish.
   ‘They didn’t succeed, but we love them anyway.
   ‘It was a bad ending to a wonderful story’.

When Spanish fans ask how a side which has produced attacking talents such as Raul and Emilio Butragueno and goalkeepers of the calibre of Iker Casillas and Andoni Zubizarreta never wins anything they often end up blaming their Latin cousins Italy.
   And with good reason.
   The Spanish are past masters of shooting out of the blocks at World Cups and European Championships.
   Then around the quarter-finals it usually ends in tears.
   The Italians, in contrast start slowly, apparently indifferent as to whether they even make it out of the opening group phase.
   They invariably do - and having done so have a habit of then speeding up all the way to the final day of an event - witness four World Cups and one European title, in 1968.
   ‘Slow and steady wins the race,’ as Aesop’s fable of the tortoise besting the hare would have it.
   Spanish coach Luis Aragones insists that Spain must win the match in their minds as well as on the pitch, where La Furia Roja have only ever captured one trophy - the 1964 European Championship.
   They did reach the 1984 final but lost to France and since then appear to have developed a quarter-final complex.
   ‘A team which wants to win has to be convinced of its ability to do so and work on achieving that.
   ‘We will try to ensure they do not hit us on the counter-attack,’ added the ‘Wise Man of Hortaleza.’
   Striker Fernando Torres says Italy are favourites because ‘Italy are the current world champions and that’s not an accident. Their history makes them favourites.’
   And just like his coach, he urged his compatriots to beware the counter attack. Aragones’ stress on the psychological side of winning hits a nerve in Spain as they have been here before.
   The Italians came off best in the 1994 World Cup quarters, an ugly affair in which Spanish midfielder Enrique had his nose broken by an elbow jab from Italian defender Mauro Tassotti as Spain lost 2-1.
   The Squadra Azzurra also won the 1934 World Cup meet at the same stage. Midfielder David Silva picks out the Italians’ Bayern Munich striker Luca Toni as the man they must keep on a leash.
   ‘We know defensively Italy are very good and have a dangerman up front in Luca Toni. We must try to move the ball around as quickly as possible,’ says Silva, recognising that to play the Italians at their own slow-burning game could ‘really cost us.’
   Crucially, although Spain are on a run of nine straight wins - ten would be a record - they have not beaten Italy at a major competition for 88 years.
   Today’s date of June 22 is additionally particularly inauspicious for Spanish football following three exits by the national team in quarter-finals of international competitions on that date. Spain was eliminated on June 22 in penalty shootouts against Belgium in the World Cup in 1986, against England in Euro 1996 and against South Korea at the 2002 World Cup.
   But they can take some comfort from the fact that Italy will be without suspended key midfielders Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso while the Azzurri must make do and mend at the back with Andrea Barzagli out of action as he faces knee surgery. As Spain look to win a match that could go a long way to shredding their underachievers’ tag Italy defender Christian Panucci believes his side have the mental edge amid reports that most Spanish fans fear they will fall by the wayside once more.
   ‘I can understand why the Spanish people don’t want to play against Italy because in the past it has not been easy for Spain to play against Italy in these big competitions,’ he said.

Decimated by injuries and suspensions, Turkey go into their semi-final match against favourites Germany on Wednesday with the same never-say-die attitude, hoping it will be enough to carry them to the final.
   Semih Senturk, known among his club Fenerbahce fans as ‘The Lifeguard’ for his late decisive strikes, scored in stoppage time in the second half of extra time to take the match to penalties where Turkey won 3-1.
   But their victory comes at a high price and when they take the field against Germany, even more players will be missing than against Croatia. Coach Fatih Terim had only 15 outfield players to choose from for their quarter-final. That could seem like a luxury.
   After picking up their second yellow cards, midfielder Arda Turan, forward Tuncay Sanli and defender Emre Asik are suspended against Germany.
   First choice keeper Volkan Demirel is also serving out a two-match suspension for a red card against the Czech Republic, with an appeal to have it shortened to be ruled on Monday.
   Captain Emre Belozoglu is extremely doubtful, nursing a hamstring injury since their opening game and injured central defender Servet Cetin said he would not be fit by Wednesday.
   Defender Emre Gungor is out for the rest of the tournament with a calf problem while inspirational midfielder Tumer Metin’s participation is also doubtful due to a groin injury. ‘Sure, we have a lot of good players out with injuries and we face a formidable opponent in Germany,’ said Nihat Kahveci, who also left the field clutching his thigh but should be ready to play against Germany.
   ‘But the players who will be asked to come on will be good because this team fears nothing. They have to be good because we have no other choice,’ he said.
   Coach Fatih Terim will at least have midfielder Mehmet Aurelio back in the squad, who served out his one-match suspension.
   But even with the growing injury and suspension list, he said his team was up to the task.
   ‘I think the Turkish team can do even better,’ Terim, who is known as the ‘Emperor’ back home, said. ‘If only we could have all the injured players back on the team. But even without them, we do have that something extra special.’
   Midfielder Hamit Altintop said a win against Germany was on the cards. ‘Our team can play well not just against Germany but any team and win,’ he said. ‘It is important to believe in ourselves, and if we continue doing that there is no reason to be afraid of any opponent.’

Coach Slaven Bilic believes the absence of Arsenal striker Eduardo counted against his defeated Croatia side at Euro 2008.
   Bilic, facing the media here on Saturday after the night before’s crushing penalty shoot-out quarter-final loss to Turkey, said: ‘I’ve already mentioned this but I would have liked Eduardo to be in the squad for the tournament.
   ‘Sometimes we lacked bite in attack. Without him, we had problems in finishing.’
   Eduardo was ruled out of Euro 2008 after suffering a compound fracture of the left leg following a tackle from Birmingham defender Martin Taylor in February.
   Bilic had already described the forward’s absence as ‘a handicap’, saying the team felt his absence in training and at matches.
   He said he had only pride for his players ‘from the first day to the last penalty against Turkey’.
   ‘Without wishing to show a lack of respect to Turkey we deserved to win this quarter-final,’ insisted the 39-year-old who refused to be drawn on whether he would stay on as Croatia manager or return to club football.

Shoaib Malik, the Pakistan captain, has warned against complacency as his side gears up for the Asia Cup on the back of their triumph in the Bangladesh tri-series.
   ‘There is no doubt that the victory in Bangladesh has boosted our confidence,’ Malik said during a preparatory camp at the National Stadium in Karachi. ‘But the Asia Cup will be a different tournament altogether and we will have to start from scratch.’
   Pakistan kick off their Asia Cup campaign with a game against Hong Kong on June 24, but Malik said his side wouldn’t take things for granted. ‘We will work hard and give our best in each of the matches, no matter which side we are playing against in the event.’
   Malik picked out India and Sri Lanka as the main threats to Pakistan’s hopes of clinching the title for the second time in the tournament’s history. ‘Let’s not forget that India are a very dangerous team,’ he said. ‘They’ve beaten Australia this year and we will have to give our best to beat them. And then, we cannot take Sri Lanka lightly.’
   Pakistan are on a high after their defeating India in the final of the Bangladesh tri-series. They turned things around after a humiliating 140-run loss against them in the league phase, after which PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf sent a stinging email to the team manager.

Dale Steyn has called himself an ‘idiot’ for the comments he made about the Indian Premier League a few days ago.
   Steyn said that ‘the IPL was only four overs a game and it was like a paid holiday; you only had to work hard if you felt like it, which is probably why we finished second-last.’ However, in response, he was unreservedly apologetic.
   ‘I was speaking just moments after being named as South Africa’s cricketer of the year at a gala banquet and I was pretty emotional,’ he said. ‘I was trying to be funny and just ended up being stupid - I was an idiot.
   ‘I was asked whether the IPL had been hard physically and I said ‘no’ because I only had to bowl four overs per game. The rest of my comments were meant to reinforce the fact that Twenty20 cricket is very, very different from Test cricket as far as wear and tear on the body is concerned.
   ‘The truth is, I tried my absolute hardest for Bangalore in every game and I was as disappointed as anyone that we fared so poorly. I desperately regret my naivety and look forward to the opportunity of helping the franchise reach the semi-finals next year.
   ‘I have written to the franchise to express my unreserved regret and apologies and tried to explain the circumstances of my comments. Sometimes, when you lose, you try to make a joke of it to lessen the disappointment. It was a stupid thing to say and a painful lesson for me to learn.’

Turkey goalkeeper Rustu Recber wasn’t supposed to play at the European Championship, but when he did in Friday’s quarter-final against Croatia, the 35-year-old did enough to become a national hero.
   When the match ended 0-0 after 90 minutes, and 1-1 after extra time, Recber made a decisive save as he stopped a penalty kick by Mladen Petric.
   Recber raised his arms and ran towards his teammates to celebrate Turkey’s best ever result in the competition - the semifinals, where Turkey will play Germany.
   Recber was the only member of the Turkish 23-man squad who had played Croatia before - in the team’s only previous meeting at the 1996 European Championship in England, when Turkey lost 1-0.
   The veteran was substitute in Turkey’s group matches, but returned for his 117th cap because first-choice ‘keeper Volkan Demirel got a two-match ban after he was sent off against the Czech Republic in Turkey’s final Group A game in Geneva last Sunday.
   Demirel had knocked down striker Jan Koller in the final minute of the match, which Turkey won 3-2, and then sat on the team’s bench in breach of FIFA rules.
   Turkey appealed the ban, but UEFA announced a hearing for next Monday, which forced Turkey coach Fatih Terim to replace Demirel with Recber.
   Apart from Demirel and banned midfielder Mehmet Aurelio, Turkey was missing five more regulars due to injuries.
   The 35-year-old goalkeeper, this time without the black stripes under his eyes that he is known for, looked as sharp as in his first international after a couple of nervy starts in the first 10 minutes.
   Recber wasn’t really forced into spectacular saves in the first half, though he needed a little help to keep his goal clear.
   In the sixth minute, defender Hakan Balta blocked a short-range shot by Croatia midfielder Darijo Srna that otherwise could have easily hit the mark.
   And 12 minutes later, Recber was saved by the crossbar when Croatia’s only forward Ivica Olic failed to convert a perfect cross by playmaker Luka Modric from within the area.
   In the second half, Recber pushed the ball away with his right fist to prevent Olic from scoring with a header, shortly before he saved a 20-meter (yards) shot by Croatia midfielder Niko Kranjcar.
   His biggest save so far came in the 83rd minute, when he dived to the far left corner and pushed the ball wide from a powerful free kick by Srna.
   Five minutes later, Recber prevented Turkey again from dropping behind when he picked up a 5-meter (yards) shot by Olic, and shortly after he killed off another Srna free kick to take his team into extra time.
   Turkey gained the momentum in the additional part of the match, but Recber made a huge mistake when he left his goal unnecessarily and returned too late to save a header by substitute Ivan Klasnic, who gave Croatia a 1-0 lead.
   However, Recber’s long drop out into the Croatian area enabled substitute Semih Senturk to level the score in the last seconds of injury time.
   Recber saw Modric and Ivan Rakitic shoot their penalties wide, before he saved Petric’ attempt.
   Recber said before the start of the tournament that he would retire from international football after Euro 2008 was over. Which means now, his illustrious career will last for at least another match.

Germany striker Miroslav Klose said on Saturday the fighting-spirit of come-back kings Turkey is his side’s biggest concern ahead of next Wednesday’s Euro 2008 semi-final.
   Klose scored in last Thursday’s 3-2 quarter-final win over Portugal and Germany will now return to Basel to face Turkey who came from behind for the third time in succession to beat Croatia on penalties in Friday’s quarter-final.
   Turkey have earned a reputation for grabbing wins at the death.
   In their group A games, Turkey beat co-hosts Switzerland 2-1 with the winner scored in time added on and then came from 2-0 down to floor the Czech Republic with a flurry of late goals and claim a 3-2 victory.
   Klose said Germany must make sure the Turks earn no late reprieve in Basel.
   ‘Just looking at the way Turkey play and the will-power they show, we will have to counter that,’ said the Bayern Munich frontman. ‘We are well prepared to play against them, I feel good, the team feel good, we are ready to go.’
   Despite opening their Euro 2008 campaign with a convincing 2-0 win over Poland, Germany slumped to a 2-1 Group B defeat by Croatia and limped to a 1-0 win over Austria, before booting much-fancied Portugal out of the tournament.
   ‘We are a tournament side,’ explained Klose.
   ‘Prior to Euro 2008, our aim was to go as far as possible, we need luck too to win the title.
   ‘We survived the group stage without playing the football we wanted, that’s why we are so happy to have played such a good game against Portugal.
   ‘We had a lot of pressure on us, we want to play in the same manner again.’
   And Klose said part of the reason Germany enjoyed so much success against Portugal was the inspired change of tactics by German coach Joachim Low - who switched to a 4-5-1 formation - with devastating effect.
   ‘It was obvious the team felt good during the game, but the main thing is we were ready to run and fight during the whole game,’ said Klose.
   ‘If you play a 4-5-1 system, as a forward, you don’t have to track back as much,’ said Klose.
   ‘You have to keep the two central defenders busy, it was my mission and I did it properly.’
   With his Bayern Munich colleague Hamit Altintop hitting the third penalty in the shoot-out which put Croatia out and Turkey in the last four, Klose paid tribute to the attacking midfielder.
   ‘I have only words of praise for him,’ said 30-year-old Klose who opened his Euro 2008 scoring account against Portugal.
   ‘From his work-rate and quality he is the best Turkish player, it will be a difficult game, but we want to win.’

Just as Croatian supporters were about to launch into a huge party hailing their football heroes they had the bottles dashed from their lips as Turkey equalised in the dying seconds and then beat them 3-1 on penalties to progress at their expense to the Euro 2008 semi-finals on Friday.
   The crowd in the central square of the Croatian capital had burst into loud cheers a minute before the end of extra-time when Ivan Klasnic looked to have created a fairytale for the country and himself, as he has battled back from a kidney transplant just over a year ago, by scoring.
   However, those cheers soon turned to tears of disbelief as Semih Senturk levelled with the last kick of the game.
   For some it was too much as Marina, 35, closed her eyes and said a prayer as the penalty shootout began.
   ‘I only feel bitterness! I have no other words to express my sadness,’ Marina told AFP, clothed in the Croatian team strip.
   ‘I am really disappointed. Everything happened in the last seconds. It is a curse. But we always have bad luck, its incredible!’ she added tearfully.
   Like the thousands of other supporters - who had watched the match on a giant screen - she quickly left the square.
   Just half-an-hour after the end of the match the cafes which had been packed to the rafters following their three group wins, including a superb 2-1 victory over Germany, were virtually empty.
   ‘The Turks won because of their enthusiasm and their audacity. ‘That is what tilted the match in their favour, even if we were better technically,’ commented Igor, as he downed a beer at the cafe where he had watched the match.
   ‘I am sad and disappointed, especially as I have felt the vibrant energy of the supporters and how it has brought them together over the past few days. It is a real pity it is over because of a little bit of inattentiveness at the end,’ added his companion Sandra.

Luka Modric will ply his trade in the English Premier League next season at Tottenham and despite their Euro 2008 quarter-final loss to Turkey, many of his international team-mates may be set to join him.
   Comeback kings Turkey scored an equaliser with the last kick of the match to take the quarter-final to penalties and Modric was one of three players to miss as the Croats crumbled.
   Despite that miss, Croatia coach Slaven Bilic, who himself played for West Ham and Everton in the Premier League, said the little magician had still had a great tournament.
   ‘Luca played phenomenally well and didn’t deserve to miss that penalty,’ he said.
   ‘Throughout the tournament he’s played fantastic but to be honest none of the players deserved to miss their penalties.’
   Croatia have a particularly impressive front five with the diminutive Modric the Pied Piper, playing his flute and enchanting the others around him into his web of total football.
   Modric’s greatest strengths are finding space and then spotting a pass, both of which allow the little man to thrive in the hurly-burly of the modern game.
   He looks too weedy to survive in the Premier League but having served his apprenticeship in the Bosnian League - on loan from Dinamo Zagreb - he came back claiming that it was so tough, if you could survive there you could survive anywhere.
   And having seen what the latest generation of talented Croatians can do, Premier League sides may well be queueing up to sign them on.
   Modric is not the first of this Croatian team to play in England, midfielder Niko Kranjcar has been at Portsmouth since 2006 while Vedran Corluka joined Manchester City in 2007.
   Brazilian-born striker Eduardo, who missed the tournament due to injury, is also at Arsenal.
   But after this showing, there may soon be an influx.
   Hamburg forward Ivica Olic is a tireless worker across the front line, much in the mould of Manchester United’s Carlos Tevez.
   On the flanks Darijo Srna is a tricky and nippy player while on the opposite flank Ivan Rakitic of Schalke 04 is a potential star of the future.
   Swiss-born to Croatian parents he played junior football for Switzerland before opting to play for the country of his parents at full international level.
   With Modric and Kranjcar, those five make up a
   formidable attacking unit, full of clever running off the ball, incisive passing and enterprising interplay.
   Then there are the full-backs, Corluka on one flank and Danijel Pranjic on the other. Both willing runners who get up to support the attack and often find acres of space hugging the touchline.
   Coming off the bench are Mladen Petric of Borussia Dortmund and Ivan Klasnic, who has made a fairytale return from a kidney transplant operation just over a year ago with two goals here.
   While as a unit they still need to mature, they have an impressive array of attacking potential.
   They may have lost to Turkey on penalties but few would deny that Croatia were the better team on the day, with Olic even hitting the bar following a great diagonal run and cross from Modric.
   However, they didn’t fire the way they did against Germany in the group stages when Olic and Srna scored and Kranjcar could have had a hat-trick.
   Against an organised and defensive Turkey there were few chances and Croatia, who seem to prefer playing as underdogs, struggled at times but still got behind the backline.
   One of Croatia’s strengths is the way those players arrive late in the box to mop up the pieces and with four men playing behind Olic, a defence has to be on high alert to cover all possibilities.
   Croatia have bowed out of this competition but one suspects they will make a splash in South Africa in two years time, by which time many of these players could be Premier League stars.

Italy striker Luca Toni admits he has problems with ‘his best friend’ - the football - and is looking to fix his troubled friendship by opening his Euro 2008 account against Spain on Sunday.
   Despite hitting 24 goals in 31 league games for Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich last season, Toni has so far failed to hit the back of the net in Italy’s three Euro 2008 games.
   And he has even asked Germany striker Miroslav Klose for help with the problem ahead of the Azzurri’s quarter-final against Spain today in Vienna.
   Klose opened his Euro 2008 account by netting Germany’s second goal in their 3-2 quarter-final win over Portugal last Thursday and said he had received an SMS text
   message from his Italian team-mate at Bayern saying he had a problem.
   ‘I had a text after the Portugal game, he (Toni) told me he has a problem with his best friend and asked me for help with his best friend,’ said Klose at Germany’s Euro 2008 camp here.
   ‘I asked him what was the problem and he told me his best friend was the ball and he doesn’t know what to do with it.’

With World Cup winning veteran central defenders Fabio Cannavaro and Marco Materazzi either out injured or out of favour it has fallen to another old stager Christian Panucci to marshal the defence in today’s Euro 2008 quarter-final against Spain.
   The 35-year-old has an even greater incentive to deliver only Italy’s second European title as he was not part of the World Cup winning squad, having failed to find favour with then coach Marcello Lippi, whom he had not got on with when at Inter Milan.
   However, it maybe doesn’t matter as much to the 56-times capped defender – who may have only scored four goals but two have been crucial – one earning them an injury-time win over Scotland which got them to the finals and the other the draw with Romania which garnered a point here.
   He cheated death in 1996 on returning early from the Olympics after picking up an injury. He decided in a twist of fate to switch flights – his original TAW flight crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.
   Despite his age, the former AC Milan, Real Madrid, Monaco and now AS Roma defender – who earned a recall once his former AC Milan team-mate Roberto Donadoni replaced Lippi as coach of the Azzurri – is clearly up for what will more than likely be his last chance at the big national team trophies.
   ‘In my 18-year career, I have never had major injury problems,’ said Panucci.
   ‘And then there is the incentive of playing in a Euro quarter-final and that overrides any type of tiredness.
   ‘And it is even true of myself because it is likely to be my last major international occasion.’
   It’s fair to say that Panucci has not let his country down here – inadvertently blamed for the Dutch first goal in the 3-0 Group defeat when he was lying off the pitch injured but the referee ruled him as playing Ruud van Nistelrooy onside – he has teamed up with the youngest member of the squad 23-year-old Giorgio Chiellini in the centre of defence to only concede one in the last two matches.
   The duo have impressed since replacing the pair of Materazzi – whose frailties and age were exposed by the Dutch – and Andrea Barzagli, who was also dropped and has since been ruled out with a left knee injury, even though quite apart from a generation in terms of age separating them they hardly knew each other.
   ‘We talk a lot, myself and Giorgio,’ said Panucci.
   ‘We don’t know each other very well, notably in our movements, but that allows us to change around a lot.
   ‘In any case, I can assure you that he (Chiellini) will be one of the best central defenders in the world. He has everything.’
   Panucci, who has twice won the Champions League, first with AC Milan and then Real Madrid in 1994 and 1998 respectively, said that he had no worries over his fitness levels despite his age.
   ‘In the tests we carry out every morning in training, I am one of those who recuperate the quickest.
   ‘Perhaps it is also because where I play it means I expend less energy than the others.’
   Panucci, though, has no doubts that his nascent partnership with Chiellini will have enough quality to see off the imposing striking partnership of David Villa, who has four goals so far, and Fernando Torres, who has just one.
   ‘How are we going to stop them? Like we went about stopping two other very good players, (Thierry) Henry and (Karim) Benzema,’ said Panucci, referring to their final Group C game which Italy won 2-0.
   As for the future, dare he, when he is in such good form, now dream of even going as far as the 2010 World Cup?
   ‘It would not be intelligent on my part,’ he said.
   ‘At 37 years old my legs may be worn out.’

Croatia captain Niko Kovac hinted he was likely to hang up his international boots after their astonishing Euro 2008 quarter-final defeat by the tournament’s surprise package Turkey on Friday.
   ‘I’ll give my decision a night’s sleep to make it with a clear head but there are younger lads out there ready to take over,’ said the 36-year old defensive midfielder.
   ‘I said before the tournament I was more likely to retire after Euro 2008 than carry on and I haven’t changed my mind.’
   ‘They say that luck favours the brave, we were brave tonight and were not rewarded for our courage,’ said Kovac, who has scored 14 goals in 80 games for Croatia.
   ‘We wanted to get a second goal and got punished for it, this outcome must have been preordained and I will never be able to get over the last few moments of the match.’

Turkey coach Fatih Terim said this week their greatest strength was they never give up but even he must have feared it was all over with a minute left of extra time in Friday’s Euro 2008 quarter-final with Croatia.
   Ivan Klasnic’s 119th minute goal seemed to have decided the game in favour of the Croatians, yet, unbelievably there was still time for the absolute substantiation of Terim’s faith when Semih Senturk struck a stunning equaliser in the 122nd.
   Turkey then won the match in a penalty shootout to earn a semi-final meeting with Germany in Basel on Wednesday that had looked beyond them at almost every stage of the tournament.
   Having lost their opening game to Portugal they were drawing 1-1 with Switzerland going into added time in their second until Arda Turan planted a shot into the net to win the game.
   There looked no way back in the final group match, though, as they trailed Czech Republic 2-0 after 74 minutes and were still 2-1 down with three minutes remaining.
   Nihat Kahveci then took centre stage as he bundled home an equaliser and then curled in a wonderful 89th-minute winner.
   After falling behind in all three games the Turks had vowed to come out fighting on Friday and were true to their word.
   However, they were gradually pegged back by the skilful Croatians and were lucky to get to 90 minutes goalless.
   With so many first-choice players out injured or suspended and with Croatia’s first team fully rested after a week off, it seemed that extra time would suit Slaven Bilic’s team.
   Yet Turkey seemed to find hidden reserves of energy from somewhere and forced themselves back into contention.
   Tuncay Sanli, who often looks exhausted by halftime in his English Premier League forays for Middlesbrough, was a man possessed while Hamit Altintop was similarly tireless.
   But when Croatia midfielder Luka Modric seized on Rustu Recber’s error to set up Klasnic to score, the Turks could have been forgiven for thinking their day was done. They kept going, though, as they always do.
   The clock had ticked beyond the allocated extra minute when Rustu, with what he must have imagined would be the last kick of his 14-year, 117-match international career, sent a clearance 70 metres down the pitch.
   Two Croatia defenders were underneath it and a clean header by either would have settled the issue.
   Emre Asik, however, had other ideas as he forced his weary body into one final monumental leap that flattened both of them and allowed the ball to drop to the floor.
   Semih did not have time to wonder about his luck and lashed it into the net to breathe life into the dying team yet again.
   It was a body blow from which Croatia never recovered.
   While Terim quickly settled his team and began calmly organising his penalty takers, a furious Bilic was still complaining to officials about the extra minute and the fact that he had been unable to get his third substitute on.
   It was no surprise then that two of the first three Croatian penalties went wide as the Turks thumped theirs unerringly home.
   It was poetic justice that Rustu, recalled only because of Volkan Demirel’s suspension, should spark the celebrations by saving from Mladen Petric to secure the 3-1 shootout victory.

The Turkish football team are destined to win Euro 2008 in Vienna and make up for the failure of their compatriots to take the city by force in the 17th century, was one of the takes by the Turkish press on their astonishing quarter-final victory over Croatia.
   The Turks levelled at 1-1 with the final kick of the game in Vienna on Friday and then won 3-1 on penalties in the shootout to reach the last four for the first time in their history sparking wild celebrations round the country.
   ‘Step by step towards the Cup,’ was the headline in the daily newspaper Aksam, which like several of its fellow papers recalled the siege of Vienna in the 17th century by the Ottomans which ultimately failed.
   This time, though, according to Aksam the Turkish assault will result in the ‘first conquest of Vienna’.
   Other headlines went ‘The miracle is our business’, ‘Going around Germany (in reference to their semi-final in
   Basel, Switzerland, next Wednesday)’, and ‘Towards the Cup’ as the Turkish press eulogised about their team’s achievements.
   ‘We will be there (in the final), there remains nothing to oppose us’, was splashed on the front page of Hurriyet, which was also certain that the Turks were up to beating Germany.
   For the popular selling Sabah, the Turkish team had pulled off a ‘true miracle’ in not so much winning on penalties but in levelling in the final seconds of extra-time, the Croats having taken the lead only a minute from the final whistle.
   However, the newspapers also acknowledged that coach Fatih Terim faces the unenviable task of selecting a team for the Germany clash as he has four players suspended and several injury worries, including outstanding striker Nihat Kahveci, who came off three minutes from the end of extra-time clutching his groin.

Colin Kazim-Richards claimed that dreams do come true as he revelled in Turkey’s victory over England’s nemesis Croatia following his country’s Euro 2008 quarter-final victory.
   Turkey scored a dramatic extra-time equaliser through Semih Senturk with the last kick of the match just minutes after Croatia had taken the lead through Ivan Klasnic.
   And then they were successful with all three of their spot-kicks while Croatia missed three times from four from 12 yards to hand the Turks a place in the last four.
   It’s been a remarkable rise for Kazim-Richards – known as Kazim Kazim in Turkey due to the ban on the use of Christian names, something which seems to have been overlooked by UEFA’s Kick Racism out of Football campaign – who began his career in 2004 in the less than glamorous surroundings of Bury in the fourth tier of English football.
   There followed a move to Brighton and the second tier before he made the step up to Sheffield United and the Premier League.
   Kazim-Richards was far from a revelation in a team that was relegated on the last day of the season but a call up to the Turkish national team followed and a move to Turkish champions Fenerbahce was secured.
   Despite this remarkable rise, Kazim-Richards claims not to be surprised, even saying he expected it.
   ‘To say that I didn’t would be lying,’ he said frankly. ‘I had big ambitions and big dreams.
   ‘I wanted to play in competitions like this and no disrespect to those teams but I didn’t want to play in League One or League Two.
   ‘I wanted to play against the best and now I’ve capitalised on my chances and opportunities and now I’m playing here.
   ‘Dreams happen in football it’s incredible – what a journey!’
   Kazim-Richards is an English by birth but his father is from Antigua and his mother is a Turkish Cypriot – which is how he qualified to play for his adopted country.
   He was a relative unknown in England but thanks to Fenerbahce’s run to the Champions League quarter-finals – where they lost to Chelsea though he scored a brilliant goal in the Turkish side’s 2-1 first leg win in Istanbul – and now this, strangely enough now that he is Turkish Kazim-Richards is better known in England than he was before.
   ‘Of course people watch the Champions League and people watch the Euros and getting to the quarter-finals and playing against Chelsea and now getting to the quarter-finals of the Euro to play against Croatia, who beat England, they’re going to watch.
   ‘I’m sure people in England wanted us to beat them,’ said Kazim-Richards, who has experienced his fair share of tragedy having lost his younger brother when he was just eight months old and then his favourite cousin and best friend who died after suffering a fit last November and whose funeral he wasn’t able to attend as he had to play in a Champions League match with PSV Eindhoven.
   Croatia eliminated England from the qualifying group, beating them at home and away to allow Russia to sneak second spot in the group.
   Now Kazim-Richards is happy to have got a sort of revenge on Croatia on behalf of his homeland.
   ‘Of course I got loads of texts from people who wanted the Croatians to lose because they beat England.
   ‘And personally I’m English and happy we beat Croatia but especially for Turkey.
   ‘I’m here for Turkey and I’m Turkish so that comes before everything else, but part of me is also happy for England.’
   Turkey have had a stunning run to the semi-finals, coming back from a deficit in their last three games to win them all.
   And the 21-year-old paid tribute to his team’s coach Fatih Terim for the never-say-die attitude instilled in himself and his teammates.
   ‘It’s incredible to be here. For sure we don’t give up, we keep going to the last second, the last fight,’ he added.
   ‘We just have to go out and take care of whatever team we’re playing and dedicate ourselves.
   ‘Our coach is incredible, he doesn’t let you get your head down. When you get your head down he shouts at you straight away and believe me, when that man shouts – you look.
   ‘He doesn’t let you get your head down, he’s all about belief.’

Croatia coach Slaven Bilic said the defeat and more particularly the manner in which it was inflicted in Friday’s Euro 2008 quarter-final loss to Turkey will haunt him and his players forever.
   But the 39-year-old who has created such an impression at these championships insisted that his young side would return stronger in time for the upcoming 2010 World Cup qualifiers.
   ‘This is not the sort of match you play on a regular basis, this is something we’ll never forget – it will haunt us for the rest of our lives.
   ‘We’ll probably weep for a few days but such is life – things like this happen.
   ‘We have to go on, I’ve got a young team, qualification for the World Cup is imminent.
   ‘Tomorrow is a new day, the sun will rise, and my players have a strong character and will be back even stronger.’
   After large periods of domination Croatia took a 119th-minute lead through kidney transplant patient Ivan Klasnic only for Turkey to strike back in the 122nd minute through Semih Senturk.
   After that hammer blow, Croatia – who turned up at this quarter-final after sailing through their group with wins over Germany, Austria and Poland – folded in the penalty shoot-outs.
   ‘Penalties were a shock to us. It looked as if it was over, then to concede a goal and for penalties was a psychological advantage to the Turks.’
   He paid tribute to all his players, including new Tottenham signing Luca Modric who sent Croatia’s first spot-kick wide.
   ‘Luca played phenomenally well and didn’t deserve to miss that penalty.Throughout the tournament he’s played fantastic but to be honest none of the players deserved to miss their penalties.’
   Bilic, who was part of the Croatia team that beat Turkey at Euro 96, the only time the two countries have met previously in competition, said he was finding it hard to put his thoughts on the last two drama-filled minutes into words.
   ‘I can’t describe those last minutes – both our goal and then theirs and then penalties.
   ‘It was something else. I have no misgivings towards my players, I’m proud of them but at the same time sorry and unhappy because I thought we could play on until the end of the tournament.
   ‘I congratulate the Turkey team but still believe that we didn’t deserve to lose.
   ‘We have beaten better opponents.
   ‘The pain of this defeat will stay with me for a long time.
   ‘It will haunt us forever.
   ‘This is the third match they’ve won in an extreme fashion. If they continue to be lucky and don’t give up they might even reach the final – they have quality and they have that something else which you need in football.’
   With that he left the room, to, unusual for a press conference, a round of applause.

Turkish football fans couldn’t restrain themselves on Friday as they fired celebratory shots into the air despite pleas from Turkey coach Fatih Terim not to after their team reached the Euro 2008 semi-finals for the first time.
   The fans could not believe that their side had once again come from behind to win - this time scoring in time added on to tie the Croats at 1-1 and then winning 3-1 on penalties.
   ‘It is important not to transform victory into tragedy,’ Terim, otherwise known as ‘The Emperor’, had said after two people including a 10-year-old girl were wounded by bullets following their remarkable 3-2 group win over the Czechs, which saw them come back from 2-0 down.
   Victory was greeted in the Istanbul quarter of Besiktas, which is home to one of the three great clubs of the city, by such a noise that it made the windows tremble.
   ‘Turkey is the greatest’, ‘Red? White! (the colours of the national flag)’, yelled the crowd amidst a cacophony of noise of car horns and klaxons, while the night sky was light up by lights shining from giant projectors.
   Thousands of supporters continued to make their way to Taksim square, the centre of Istanbul’s nightlife, on the European bank of the Bosphorus, which was clouded in smoke emanating from torches and fireworks.
   Similar scenes of joyous celebration - probably not seen in a sporting context since the 2002 World Cup when Turkey reached the semi-finals - were seen all round the major towns and cities in the country.
   In Ankara, a huge crowd, a lot of them draped in the national flag descended on Kizilay Square - in the centre of the city - and danced the ‘halay’, a traditional Turkish dance, toasting the success of Terim and his players.