Turks Win? I Can't Believe What I Just Saw

2008-09-10T06:59:47-04:00

2008-06-15T17:49:29-04:00

2008-09-10T06:38:34-04:00

2008-06-16T19:43:49-04:00

Pub1

Pilgrims Knob 345342

lol, it may be, it may be ;) but in my opinion a thrilling game is one which is end to end action for the entire game. a game where no-one knows who is going to win so you are on the edge of your seat the entire time, one of those games where anything could happen and anyone could score at any time (basically everything the England team isnt right now :P ). it was a thrilling end, no denying that - especially when volkan messed up just after the goal and the czech midfielder piled in to try to head the ball into the almost empty goal but the liverpool newcastle game was end to end, both teams attacking, both leading at different times and then liverpool scored the winner with virtually the last kick of the game - that was thrilling for the entire game not just the last 20 minutes. or the england v argie world cup 98 game (until becks got sent off). is another classic example. this game had a fantastically thrilling end, but most thrilling game ever? thats a hard sell. well thats just my opinion anyway and you may or (more likely by the sounds of things) not agree. it doesnt really matter, it was most thrilling game of the tournament so far at the very least :) hopefully the france italy game today will be even better! 1992967

2008-06-16T18:34:39-04:00

masterDD

Ozona 441197

Well,i think you should check the dictionary and see the difference between "amazing" and "thrilling"...This game was by far more thrilling than liverpool-newcastle or chelsea-liverpool...those games were amazing yes,and i can add many more games like those to that list...I think maybe it's because you are english so you don't get thrilled by the euro 2008 :) 1992478

2008-06-16T16:31:07-04:00

Pub1

Pilgrims Knob 345342

by far the most thrilling game ever?? seriously?? the game really wasnt that great until the final 15 minutes! if you think that game was good then i highly recommend you look up "liverpool 4 newcastle 3" on youtube or "chelsea 4-2 liverpool" - those were thrilling games! you cant really capture the emotion, drama and tension on youtube highlights but i HIGHLY recommend them (plus the chelsea manager for that game was Ruud Gullit, the now LA manager) also, Liverpool coming back from 3-0 down in the CL final of '05 was not as big as Turkey coming back from 2-0 to beat the Czechs in a Euro group game? how does that work?? 1- the margin was bigger 2 - Turkey were the better team, it wasnt like the Czechs deserved the 2 goal lead. AC Milan, however, blew Liverpool off the park and could have been far more than 3-0 up 3 - that AC milan team would probably have beaten this Czech Republic team so Liverpools come back was against a better opponent. 4 - there was much more at stake this was a good comeback but nothing special. lets not get carried away by the emotion and drama of the night. 1991491

2008-06-16T16:30:23-04:00

Pub1

Pilgrims Knob 345342

2008-06-16T15:03:53-04:00

Andy Johns

Park Ridge 441405

Amazing game. Turkey also defeated Switzerland 2-1 in their second match in a rainy encounter, which was the second time in the history of the European cup that a host nation did not qualify for the second round. The first such nation was Belgium 8 years earlier which also was eliminated after losing to the Turkish team. 1990217

2008-06-16T10:52:49-04:00

masterDD

Ozona 441197

By far the most thrilling game ever...And this is the 2nd time the Turks do that in this tournament...I have seen many comebacks such as Liverpool's comeback against Milan in the CL final and France against Italy...But not this big...This tournament is one of the best so far...The only game with an amazing comeback that i can compare with this game is that Man U against Bayern Munchen in the CL final when Man U scored two goals on 90+ minutes to comeback from 1-0 and win the cup 1987532

2008-06-16T09:27:29-04:00

matlim

Florence 28591

kahveci re Terim: Yes, the man has an ego and a tremendous attitude???but he is a master at transmitting some part of that attitude to his team. His players are imbued with unfailing confidence, and the desire and the will to win against all odds. We know something about that here in Florence, Italy. While he was the coach of la Fiorentina, the fans loved him, and we continue to wish him well. And we still call him "l'imperatore", the emperor. Matlim 1986574

2008-06-16T09:05:42-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/142/335/thumb/raul.puyol.jpg 263 MD

Burgundy

Baltimore 142635

So how many posts have pinged Grant for not including Iker Casillas in his list of world's best keepers? I'd even throw in an honorable mention for both of Iker's backups - palop and Reina. 1986317

2008-06-16T08:54:28-04:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/115/960/thumb/2007-02-25_085.jpg 49 XX

nelsonorange71

No City 116259

Hamit has to play in midfield. He was crucial in the comeback when he moved forward. 1986220

2008-06-16T08:32:06-04:00

138

MarkeyMark

11253

Sorry about the typo, that's Nihat, not Hihat! 1986133

What. A. Game. Four thoughts after Turkey’s miraculous 3-2 victory over the Czech Republic eliminated the Czechs and sent the Turks to a quarterfinal date against Croatia: • I can’t believe this just happened. Let me get this straight: the Czechs were up 2-0 in the 75th minute, right? They had perhaps the world’s top goalkeeper (Petr Cech) backing up four seasoned defenders who all play in Italy’s Serie A, right? And yet the remarkable Turks score three times in 14 minutes to win 3-2? And Cech muffs an innocuous cross in the 88th minute to allow the equalizer? And the Czech back four make a hash out of their offside-trap to let Nihat get behind for the 89th-minute game-winner? Absolutely insane. (I fell out of my chair and I haven’t even been drinking.) Never again should Turkey be stereotyped as a team that crumbles when things start going badly. The Turks have now engineered the only two come-from-behind wins in all of Euro 2008, both of them in the second half: against the Swiss (going from 0-1 to 2-1) and against the Czechs (going from 0-2 to 3-2). And they did it with exhilarating soccer. • Nihat was onside on the game-winner. I’ve watched the replay several times now, and my initial concerns were allayed: Nihat was even with Czech defender Marek Jankulovski when the ball left Hamit Altintop’s foot for the pass. But the Janky-man’s botched offside-trap wasn’t the only Czech error on the play. What on earth was Tomas Ujfalusi doing clearing a ball right onto the foot of the open Altintop? All that said, Nihat showed impressive poise to get free and curl an inch-perfect shot past Cech. That sort of calm was all over the field for the Turks in Nihat, 21-year-old Arda Turan (who started the comeback with another goal) and the relentless Tuncay Sanli—who did it all, even running to hand-deliver a replacement flag to the side-judge and pulling on the goalkeeper’s jersey for the last minutes after Volkan Demirel got a dumb red-card. • Fatih Terim’s second-half strategy shift worked wonders. By sending in a midfielder (Sabri Sarioglu) for a forward (Semih Sentürk), Terim helped make sure that the Turks controlled midfield possession in the second half after the Czechs had dominated in the first 45 minutes. • If we’re talking best goalkeepers in the world, I’ll take Gigi Buffon and Edwin van der Sar over Petr Cech. What matters most is how you play when the pressure is on, and while it’s hard not to feel badly for Cech, he really screwed up by handing the Turks an opportunity at the equalizer. Contrast that with: 1) Buffon, who saved Italy on numerous occasions against Romania, not least when he stoned Adrian Mutu’s late penalty kick, 2) Van Der Sar, who came up huge in the Champions League final shootout and has been sterling for Holland so far. Through-balls: Total bonehead move by Volkan Demirel to draw the late red-card for pushing Jan Koller onto his back. At least Turkey has the luxury of going to an experienced replacement for the Croatia game in Rüstü Reçber ... The key to the Czechs’ success in the first half was its much-improved attacking from the outside backs (Jankulovski and Zdenek Grygera) up the wings. Those guys disappeared in the second half, though. Can this tournament get any better? How does this comeback compare to the best you’ve ever seen in the European championship? Please post your comments below, and check back tomorrow for the latest edition of the Euro 2008 Blog ... 1329 http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/194/315/thumb/wahl_grant.jpg 11 MD

Grant Wahl

Baltimore 194615