Turkey 3-2 Czech Republic

Turkey 3-2 Czech Republic: Turkish delight as sensational knockout blow floors Czechs

TURKEY 3
Turan (75), Nihat (87, 89)
CZECH REPUBLIC 2
Koller (34), Plasil (62)

TURKEY captain Nihat Kahveci admitted it was an "unbelievable feeling" to see his team recover from a two-goal deficit to earn a last-gasp 3-2 win over the Czech Republic in a Group A thriller in Geneva last night.

The Villarreal striker grabbed a sensational double in the final four minutes to complete a memorable comeback by the Turks, who finished second in their pool and now face Croatia in a quarter-final tie in Vienna on Friday.

The extraordinary recovery in a winner-takes-all match was sparked when Arda Turan halved the deficit in the 75th minute but nothing could have prepared his side for what was to follow. Nihat, whose first goal came after a ghastly handling error by Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech, said: "Up until we went 2-0 down, we didn't play well but we didn't give up.

"The first goal was the key, the turning point, and it created concern within the Czechs.

"I managed to make the most of the mistake by their keeper to score the second and then I got the third. You don't get many games like this in tournaments like these and the feeling was enormous to see the ball hit the back of the net.

"To see that goal qualify us for the quarter-final is an unbelievable feeling. We are so happy we did it."

The Czechs, who had never lost to Turkey in 11 previous meetings, looked home and dry in the 61st minute when Jaroslav Plasil added to Jan Koller's first-half opener to put his team 2-0 ahead.

But the Turks' never-say-die attitude enabled them to mount an unlikely recovery in the pouring rain at the Stade de Geneve. And coach Fatih Terim claimed he always had faith in his side's ability to respond.

"I am very pleased to have a team that doesn't give up, that doesn't stop until the referee blows the final whistle," said Terim.

A penalty shoot-out loomed if the match had ended as a draw after 90 minutes but it looked long odds against that prospect the way Turkey played in the first half. They were dreadful and looked a team gripped by nerves as they failed to trouble Cech in the opening 45 minutes.

The more experienced Czechs, semi-finalists at the Euros four years ago, looked assured from the off and should have been more than a goal ahead at the interval.

It was one-way traffic, the ever-dangerous Libor Sionko firing just over from the diagonal in the 25th minute as the nervous Turks continued to relinquish possession.

The goal the Czechs deserved came nine minutes later, Juventus full-back Grygera galloping down the right and crossing for Koller to power home a trademark header in emphatic style from eight yards out.

That was the towering targetman's 55th international goal and the Nurnberg targetman, who will now quit international football.

The Czechs looked more tentative after the break but Plasil settled any nerves with their second just after the hour mark when he got on the end of Sionko's right-wing cross to prod home at the far post. It seemed all over but Arda set up a tense final 15 minutes when he slid home a low finish past Cech after pouncing on a Hamit Altintop centre.

When Cech spilled a deep cross from the right, allowing Nihat to force home the equaliser into an empty net with three minutes remaining, an historic shoot-out beckoned as both sides were locked together on head-to-head, goal difference and goals scored.

But worse was to come for Cech when barely a minute later, Nihat made the most of some dreadful defending to latch on to a through-ball and curl home a superb finish off the bar.

Czech coach Karel Bruckner admitted his side's defending was not up to scratch in that sensational final quarter of an hour. "After our second goal, we controlled the game and we had several chances to decide the match," said Bruckner "But then Turkey scored, we had problems on the left side and we surrendered to the Turks."

Bruckner, who will step down from the post after seven years in charge, was asked how long it would take for him to recover from the defeat. "Very many nights," said the 68-year-old.

Turkey: Demirel, Altintop, Gungor (Asik 65), Cetin, Balta, Topal (Kazim-Richards 57), Aurelio, Turan, Sanli, Nihat, Senturk (Sarioglu 46).

Czech Republic: Cech, Grygera, Ujfalusi, Rozehnal, Jankulovski, Sionko (Vlcek 84), Matejovsky (Jarolim 39), Galasek, Polak, Plasil (Kadlec 80), Koller. Booked: Galasek, Ujfalusi.