Germany-Turkey: The 21st Century Heidi Game

2009-02-04T09:32:00-05:00

2008-06-25T17:35:18-04:00

122

2008-09-10T06:38:33-04:00

2008-06-27T16:50:54-04:00

Hande

No City 446640

You can also look to the sites of the other newspapers such as Les Figaros, New York Times and in fact the German newspapers. The world believes that we played better but you won. Even your coach and some of the team members believed that Turkey was really strong. I hope you'll read other comments and just accept the fact that we were the stars of the game and we deserved to win but you won with your luck. I believe that the only people who were happy with the score were Germans. Finally its important to be mentioned by how you play and how you win. Throughout the Euro 2008 tournament EVERYONE was impressed by Turkey. No one believed that we would win but now, many people are telling that they have lost the most exciting team of the tournament. So I AM PROUD OF TURKEY you should seriously stop being jealous of how we played and just accept that you sucked but still won. I bet no team in this tournament except Turkey made miracles come true. Even if Germany wins the cup, he will not able to get the compliments Turkey did in these past few weeks and Euro 2008 will be remembered by this spectacular team who never gave up and who made the miracles come true. 2085865

2008-06-27T16:50:29-04:00

Hande

No City 446640

Here are the statistics of the game: 15 shots from Turkey and 3 shots from Germany (where we only scored 2 and Germany scored 3 and this is due to their experience in these kinds of tournaments) You can look up for more statistics (for example the percentage of keeping the ball) from the OFF??C??AL S??TE OF UEFA (the organization who's arranging this game-if you don't know- and who's opinion is much more true than yours.) And look what world thought about this The ??ndependent:"This sensational game was won by Philipp Lahm's last minute goal, and it is Germany who are in the Euro 2008 final but it was Turkey whose brilliant, fearless performance so nearly changed the course of this tournament dramatically." The Guardian: "Despite their slim resources - injury and suspension meant the manager had only 14 fully fit and available players from whom to choose - they had enjoyed the better chances and played the more exciting football. The thunderstorm which hit Vienna and interrupted TV coverage was matched by the electricity of Turkey's game. Few people had given the Turks a chance against the tournament favourites, who had got into their stride with ominous timing, but Terim's players revelled in their underdog status and it was they who carried the fight from the off. Terim raged when he felt that Lahm should have been booked for a foul, and at the other end Sabri Sarioglu upended the marauding full-back and the Germany bench emptied. Although the initial contact took place outside the penalty area it was a foul, and the Swiss referee's grip on proceedings began to be questioned." BBC: Let's start by applauding Turkey. I didn't have particularly high expectations of Fatih Terim's team prior to the start of the tournament, but they enriched the competition with three moments of pure footballing theatre. Their late goals against Switzerland, Czech Republic and Croatia were the type that haul you off the sofa with such spontaneous abandon that the popcorn and beer ends up all over the missus.They almost did it again in the semi-final against the Germans, delivering a performance to warm the soul. So rich in passion, endeavour and belief - it made a nonsense of the catalogue of injury and suspensions that so limited the options of Terim. And what of the Germans? Joachim Loew's team were poor in the group stage, largely excellent against Portugal in their quarter-final victory and, in many ways, fortunate against Turkey. They may have gone one better than their semi-final exit in the last World Cup, but their play was ragged against a decimated Turkish side, with possession squandered often and needlessly, while their defensive unit creaked disturbingly.I have always believed, that quality matters more than quantity. And if the remaining fixtures match the events here in Basel on Wednesday, then this footballing spectacle will have the fitting end that is so desperately deserves. 2085855

2008-06-27T16:48:42-04:00

Hande

No City 446640

To Icon Icon I believe that you are really over-competative. Please read some newsletter and read the comments about the game. You can see that all the papers say, that our country played the game and germans won it. There is no need to get aggressive like Naz says. You won thanks to your luck like we won the match with croatia the last minute. However, you have to accept that Turkey played a better game especially when you consider that their best players (Arda, Servet, Tuncay and Nihat) were not able to play and their goalie Volkan was suspended. Despite all these suspended and injured players, Turkey played its best game of the tournament 2 days ago and please don't forget that all the world is talking about Turkey and how they deserved the game, rather than Germany who won. However, we have to accept that germany was lucky and experienced. I congratulate the German team but I don't think they stand a chance against Spain if they play the game the same way like they did with Turkey. Also I believe that the referee was unfair but the reason why we lost this game was the referee from the Croatia match because he gave a yellow card to Tuncay and Arda even though they didn't do anything but he knew that they were good players. No one can deny this fact and if they don't agree they can see how he consoled the croatians after the match. Also his mother was Croatian. So I think we would won this match if the referee from the Croatia game didn't suspend Arda and Tuncay (Best players of the team along with Nihat and Servet who were injured). I would like to remind you that we would beat Germany and make them cry just like we made Croatia cry if our best players were not injured or suspended. ??f Servet was present in the defense Lahm would not be able to score the last goal. It was Germans' luck that Kaz??m Kaz??m fell down. 2085852

2008-06-26T20:25:17-04:00

Led_Floyd

No City 444080

Schnerres that Netherland-Portugal match, I remember, the battle of nuremberg. And Netherland were pretty dirty, Boulahrouz sidelined Ronaldo at the beginning of the game, Van Bommel doing what he does best, but everybody agreed that the referee didn't manage well the agressive game on both sides,but in my unneutral opinion it was the dutch who started first. And between a lot of avoidable incidents I remember a player injured in the pitch and one portuguese player kicked the ball out so that he can be assisted. At the free throw the netherland player, I think it was Heitinga, instead of giving back to the portuguese the ball, kept the ball to Netherland. We're use to see that happening time to time. South American violence in games is another thing, most of the times its the rival supporters. It's sad that violence is a risk when two rivals are playing. Here in Lisbon, Sporting-Benfica, it's really nuts, happens some minor cases of violence between both side closed-minded fans. Schnerres, sorry but I think your football is kinda dull, I have a more "latin" mentality and you have the german mentality it's going to be hard for we to agree on football styles. I think you can have a hardworking team but a talented offensive team. I also dislike Italy football. 2078343

2008-06-26T19:51:05-04:00

Schnerres

Penokee 443463

That is just not true. You can say those things that a team plays dirty about any other country, too. Turks kicked switzerland after the decisive match. South americans tend to really ugly fouls. Remember the portugal-netherlands match? Was that a fair game? It s just part of todays game, because there is so much at stake. I take that little push from ballack and you would take that, too, if that leads to a decisive goal for your team. You know, there are millions of euros involved, why not do this, if the ref doesn t see this. Urs Meier is no german - he is from switzerland and believe me, in german tv he always defended referees decisions if they were correct and against germany, and the fans booed him, until Klopp shared his opinion. Perfect situation for germany: everyone thinks spain is favourite. This is good situation for germany. Don t say germany plays a boring, machine-like football. We all know that and we know that it has been like that for years. But wheres the problem? Look at the most succesful teams, we know the brazilians can play a more beautiful football. But after that? It s italy and germany, the defenders vs. the hard-working machines. I have no problem with that, you know, that is some kind of smart to make the most of your opportunities. We do the best with our limited potential. You cannot play fast-paced attacking style like the netherlands, when you don t have the personal to do it. Even Ballack isn t a player known for his football skills. He works hard, he ran the most in the EURO, he is a physical presence and his goal-scoring has been great for years. We don t have great ball-magicians. There is schneider who doesn t participate because of injury and there is schweinsteiger and that s it from the offensive part. But this is always what we were and this is what makes me proud - i d rather be a hard working overachiever as an offensive-minded underachiever. 2077956

2008-06-26T19:16:37-04:00

Led_Floyd

No City 444080

Schnerres, like your post and I respect it, I didn't say that unsportsmanlike behaviour was a germany exclusive. Schweinsteiger and Volkan should have the same punishment, there's no different treatment just because the weight of the nation envolved. Every red car isn't automatically 2 match ban,but a direct red card is. I know who is Urs Meier and even though he is one of the more respected referees his opinion isn't totally neutral. I don't like the germany national team (still a bit grudgy, I admit) because there's no joy. Your midfield has no magic touch, the most talented you have is ballack, and ballack is a physical player but doesn't have the magic touch that other "10" has. Don't get me wrong but germany football is this ugly machine, a "grey" football. When I see them play I don't see a "show", you don't see a creative offensive game (Yeah Netherland now is at home, but it was fun see them play) but germany never was known for spectacular football. PS: I may exceeded a on the gentlemanship criticism, but of all top teams germany fairly gained the fame of being perhaps the most harsh. 2077676

2008-06-26T18:06:13-04:00

Schnerres

Penokee 443463

Led_Floyd... In every news it says UEFA judged Volkans behaviour as an assault (translated it by myself from the german word), while schweinsteigers act was just unsportsmanlike behaviour. It was also reported Volkan didn??t leave the inner area, which he has to. You can argue about the fact that it was basically the same foul, but you can t say every red card is automatically 2 match ban. In german TV, Urs Meier (a well-known former ref, world-reteree a few times) explained that Schweinsteiger will get a one-match ban and then after volkans act said he may receive a two-match-ban. How is it you dislike germany s soccer team? I don t want to offend you, but it sounds you re jealous. There is NO WAY, say what you want, but it is NO WAY that germany s team is acting without sportsmanship or is less gentlemanlike as other countries. I can give you a hundred examples where players from a country acted in a bad way. That is just part of the game. Ballack pushed him, that is correct, but there are about 5 wrong decisions in every game, you should know that. Remember what the turks did to switzerland before the world championship, when they literally kicked their ****? That is unsportsmanlike and crazy, not a push. Every player would do that. Every player is pushing and grabbing and afterward making a gesture like a virgin to look less and less guilty. After every penalty is awarded, the whole team is storming at the ref and shouting at him, sometimes even pushing. But just germany is unsportsmanlike? Come on dude, that is just not true. 2077390

2008-06-26T17:15:49-04:00

Led_Floyd

No City 444080

Icon, the best youth teams right know are the netherlands, france, italy.England, Serbia (watch out for balkan teams). Let me respectfully say this, but you're ignorant on that matter. Germany on the last 2 european under 21 championships sucked. (In 2000,2002, and 2007 weren't even there). And second, "conspiracy theories", really is that your answer? Hmm, let me see, Calciocaos (does ring a bell?) 2002 World Cup when Korea steal their way to semi-finals, I still remember Korea-Italy and Korea-Spain as two the most scandals in history of WC. So don't give me that naive speech that football is pure and free of background schemes. I can't remember a player sent off with a direct red card being suspended 1 match only. And Schweinsteiger that should be suspended for 2 matches, saves the day against Portugal, scoring the first and assisting the other 2. Icon you're showing have no gentlemanship in the victory. PS: I don't have Germany, the country, but I strongly dislike german football team. And if you want to meet me, come to Lisbon. 2077143

2008-06-26T17:00:39-04:00

Naz

No City 446221

Icon really makes me laugh :)) I don't understand why he's so aggressive... Its funny how he takes everything so personally.... Anyways, I'm not a mad, lunatic fan who suppports their team no matter what... Of course I wish we won the game yesterday, but we couldn't... I think it was the best we did... And us loosing was completely unfair because its not just me speaking, but the statistics also show that Turkey was much better than Germany yesterday. even the coach of the German team admitted this fact. In our previous games with the Czech republic, Croatia and Switzerland, I didn't think that we were the better team, but we were luckier; so we won. However, yesterday, we REALLY were the better team, and we deserved to win. Germany was like Turkey in their last 3 games, played worse but got lucky. I'm not mad at them, this is just football, anything can happen. I'm just saying.... and I wish we won... Thanks to 'Rodge Bryans'- I agree with the things he said... 2076994

2008-06-26T16:48:45-04:00

Rodge Bryans

No City 446151

To Icon: you said the teams that we thought were better are at home, and that you proved YOUR point. However, you proved MY point better than anything else. Since Turkey is back at home, according to both of us, they were the better team. Also, its interesting how you are the judge of your own words, saying that you "win again against another no nothing", when I really don't think you do. I watched that position a hundred times, in slow motion, from different perspectives, and its not SO OBVIOUS as you put it. You might be right, but since it caused a lot of arguments, then you can't say it was SO obvious. If it was so obvious, the referee would have called it. Please don't tell me that you're going to say the referee was on the Turks' side, because if you do, then you're clearly blind to reality. I have read so many articles about the Euro 2008 games, including this particular one, and many writers have said the same thing: that the referee was choosing sides. So there: you DONT actually "win again against another no nothing". Also, its very disturbing to see you use insulting words, when this is a public website, where people should be able to express their thougts freely, and have mature conversations with each other, without being insulted by others who find cursing the easiest way to come back at people who have opposing view-points to them. 2076973

122

Four thoughts after Germany’s 3-2 win over Turkey in the Euro 2008 semifinals: • Sounds like a great game. Too bad we missed it on TV. I can’t tell you how shocking it is that in the year 2008 you can lose the global broadcast feed for nearly 25 minutes of a Euro 2008 semifinal—and miss two goals and the final whistle. An ESPN spokesman tells me that the entire global feed from Basel (and not just ESPN’s feed) was lost due to a lightning strike. Okay, but why couldn’t UEFA and its clockwork Swiss (update: and Austrian) organizers hook up a back-up system and generator? What sort of conniptions must viewers have been going through in Germany and Turkey? If we couldn’t get a feed of the game because of the lightning strike, then why could we still get a feed from Switzerland of the Basel Fan Zone (where the weather didn’t appear bad at all)? Why were we forced to read the reactions of German Fan Zone supporters to discover that Germany had scored a goal and that the final whistle had blown? And for that matter, why couldn't they just turn that Fan Zone camera onto the screen those fans were watching so the rest of us could see it? UEFA is going to have to answer a lot of questions about this global fiasco—and I wouldn’t be surprised if ESPN and other rights-holders demand some of their money back. This is the 21st-Century version of the Heidi Game.(6:15 p.m. ET Update: Information is still coming out, but the lightning strike took place in Austria, not Switzerland, and compromised the broadcast coming from the main Euro 2008 television center in Vienna. The ESPN spokesman told me that the network normally receives three feeds, and none of them was functioning. It appears that the Swiss broadcast, which continued functioning, was not being received by ESPN.)(6:30 p.m. ET Update: For those of you who want to learn more about <a href="http://www.sptimes.com/News/92399/Sports/_Heidi__game_remains_.shtml" target="_blank">the NFL's classic Heidi Game, check this out</a>. Insert your own joke about Heidi being Swiss.) • The Turks won’t win Euro 2008, but I may remember them more than anything else. Let’s see: Turkey gave us three ridiculous comebacks and a classic slugfest (with its undermanned B-team) against a full-strength German side before finally falling to defeat. If I wasn’t already stunned when the Turks attacked from the start and went up 1-0, I was absolutely floored when Semih Sentürk scored (while we were blacked out) to make it 2-2 in the 86th minute. Bravo to this Turkish team, which showed more heart than any team in any sport that I’ve seen in a long time. • Philipp Lahm doesn’t waste much time, does he? Just four minutes after being skinned by Sabri Sarioglu on Turkey’s equalizer, Lahm made amends by hitting a remarkable strike on the winning goal, beating Rüstü Reçber near-post from close range. Yes, Lahm caught a break when his mark (Kazim Kazim) fell down on an apparent non-contact injury, but he kept running and scored the game-winner with a finish that was all class. • This is why you need to send media members on-site to cover big events. I’m sure ESPN saved some money by having its broadcasters stay in Connecticut rather than being on the scene in Basel. But when stuff like this happens it can bite you in the rear. I suspect that if Derek Rae and Andy Gray had been in the stadium we could have at least heard a continuous audio broadcast of the game. (Then again, who am I to talk? I’m writing this from a couch in Baltimore.) Through-balls: This TV fiasco makes super-efficient Switzerland (update: and Austria!) seem like sort of a banana republic, doesn’t it? ... Speaking of faulty Swiss, that was an obvious penalty that Swiss referee Massimo Busacca missed when Sabri clocked Lahm in the box in the 51st minute ... If not for Lahm’s goal, I was ready to describe this game as a Semih-final ... One good thing about the Euro 2008 schedule: there’s no useless third-place game. One of these days it would be great if the World Cup dropped it too ... Kazim Kazim had some bad luck hitting the crossbar twice in the first half. But it also was more evidence to support the Anthem-Singing Theory; Kazim no doubt offended the Soccer Gods as the only Turkish player who didn’t sing his national anthem ... A day after I heaped praise on Andy Gray, the big Scot went and had a bad game. Why should he have admitted surprise when Derek Rae said Lukas Podolski had only scored one goal in the second half of the Bundesliga season? Shouldn’t Gray have known that already? ... One positive thing about the TV: I neglected to give a thumbs-up to studio host Rece Davis in my blog post about the TV production yesterday. Davis is a pro who clearly has done his soccer homework, gets the names right and has worked his tail off to learn the game. He gets it. Do you think this is Germany’s tournament to win now? Should Joachim Löw make some changes for the final? And did any of you throw a brick through your TV during the blackout? (Any and all good stories are welcome below.) Come back tomorrow for the next Euro 2008 Blog post ... 1312 http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/194/315/thumb/wahl_grant.jpg 11 MD

Grant Wahl

Baltimore 194615