That was what the commentator was saying during the course of the Croatia-Turkey match. I had forgotten which part of the match was that spoken, given this match stretched all the way to the penalties.
Yes, by the time it eventually ended, it was close to 5.30am today. I don't know what to say. I don't even know where to start! The winner of this match will get to meet Germany in the semi-finals. So after me (and my father) watching Germany through to the semi-finals, the match in Vienna is something I am watching given of knowing who will be Germany's opponents. I naturally want Croatia given it will be a chance to take 'revenge' on the 2-1 loss to them in the group stages. Getting Turkey will be interesting in more ways than one.
So the match overall was kind of a drag (with some clear misses especially from Croatia) and it went into extra-time. I was starting to get worried that my sleep will be kind of sacrificed. Then just like two minutes before the end of the added extra-time, the match suddenly came to life. Croatia's Ivan Klasnic scores. I could not believe it. He did it again! He was the one who put his name on the scoresheet against Poland in their final group match (and to imagine just like slightly more than a year ago, he was undergoing a kidney transplant). Then it's like everyone on the national team (even coach Slaven Bilic and the coaching staff, I think) running up to him and celebrate (given it was so close to the final whistle...or is it?) before Bilic calming everyone down.
In just two minutes after Klasnic's goal, Turkey equalised. I was horrified. This is going into penalties. Croatia coach Slaven Bilic wasn't too pleased and he tried to push his point across the fourth official (over the timing of the match or something else, I have no idea). After some rest, time for Croatia to step up first. Luka Modric. The place where the penalty shootout is taking place is also exactly the same spot where Modric scored the eventual goal through a penalty against Austria in their opening group match. I was half-expecting it will happen this time but...no. It was Turkey's turn after that and it's in. Later on I almost wanted to sigh when Ivan Rakitic and Mladen Petric stepped up and missed. Both guys play their club football in Germany (Rakitic with Schalke and Petric with Borussia Dortmund) even (and you know what they say about the Germans being good in penalties...the German football education).
Petric even 'famously' known as the one whose eventual goal during his country's final Euro 2008 qualifier against England sent the latter out and not playing in this tournament. I wondered how many in England who are watching the match happening in Vienna are feeling when he missed the penalty. For me in a way, I was happy. I am still an England supporter at the end of the day. After his penalty miss, it confirmed that Turkey will march on to the semis (and once again, confirming their status as the comeback kings in this tournament like they did against Switzerland and the Czech Republic in the group stages as well). I almost swear I was speechless when it all ended. Germany and Turkey. Semi-finals.
All sorts of thoughts were flying around my head after it started to sink in for me. Germany has a large Turkish community and one can probably guess many will be rooting for Turkey. Germany coach Joachim Loew's Turkish connection is that he used to have coaching stints in Turkey (so he is in a good position to know the mentality of the people in the country on such an occasion). No excuses for Germany to slip up now.
For the current Turkey coach Fatih Terim, he did not give up even when his side was a goal down. For the man nicknamed as the 'Emperor' back in his country, he said this after the match - "You should never give up until the very end, until the referee blows the final whistle. That is why football is an interesting game." For Croatia, when it looked like they had already booked a re-match against Germany, it was the comeback kings Turkey who spoilt the party. Croatia coach Slaven Bilic said that for him and his players, this match will haunt them forever. Naturally for the Turks who watched it back home in Turkey (and in Germany), celebrations time. And in Vienna, the police were in action but they made only 12 arrests in what was a highly-dramatic match.
For English-born Colin Kazim-Richards (or for political reasons in Turkey, he is called Kazim-Kazim) who has a Turkisk Cypriot mother (he qualified to play for Turkey through her), it's a dream come true (given it was only just four years ago, he was playing in the fourth tier of English football before just in the 2007/08 Champions League season as part of Fenerbache, he played against Chelsea). He was part of the squad in Vienna which sent Croatia packing. In his original homeland of England, there were many who texted him on Croatia to lose (given it's them who made England an absentee in the tournament). Up next is Germany. England's arch-rivals. Given in view of the the injuries and the players who have been suspended for the Germany match, he may have his chance against the Germans. As a result of the famed England-Germany football rivalry, the English's school of thought is beating the Germans (even if it's just an international friendly) and it's Kazim-Richards' next target.
What's next for Croatia? They are going to meet England again in the 2010 World Cup group qualifying (in fact, I remembered before the start of the Croatia-Turkey match that the TV cameras spotted England manager Fabio Capello among the people in the audience). If there is one thing the Croatian players not wanting to happen, it's that their charismatic coach Slaven Bilic leaving. Bilic may not be paid as much as Capello but, he is doing the job just out of patrioism (he even turned down better job offers). The day after the match, he believes the absence of Arsenal striker Eduardo counted against his defeated Croatia side at the tournament. Arsenal's Eduardo was ruled out of the tournament after suffering a compound fracture of the left leg following a tackle from Birmingham defender Martin Taylor in February and already back then Bilic had described the absence as 'a handicap'. They did felt his absence in training and on matchdays.
For some reason, I am not feeling so relaxed. I know the day after the win over Portugal, the sentiment in the German national team is that the final is in sight. Then Turkey's comeback sort of complicated matters for me. Two years ago during the World Cup semi-final, it might had been probably the best match of the tournament for many but, it's one I don't even want to watch the replay of it. Germany versus Italy...when it looked like it's going into penalty shootout, Italy scored two goals at the dying minutes. That was the match which it finally hit me...that I had always been secretly supporting the German national team since the beginning of the World Cup.
Okay, so maybe there has been growing injury concerns and those suspended for the match which is going to be played in Basel in the Turkey camp, if the spirit they had shown in this tournament so far is anything to go by...every reason for me to be worried of Turkey. Like what the commentator was saying in the Croatia-Turkey match - 'I cannot believe this!'.
Euro 2008 thought of the day: I thought I so know Croatia is going to win this one in Vienna given partly in view of coach Slaven Bilic's coaching pedigree. But then at the end of the day, football had taught us once again that there is no way one can celebrate even before the final whistle has been blown. It has been six years since Turkey reached dizzying heights in football - third-place finish in the 2002 World Cup.
Turkey go from draw in Malta to a Euro semi (On Sept. 8 2007, Turkey slumped to a 2-2 draw with minnows Malta in Euro qualifying. The Turkish fans who made the journey to Ta’Qali would never have believed their Euro 2008 journey would take them to a first European Championship semi-final against Germany.)
Hey UEFA, leave them finals alone! (UEFA must make a decision on whether to expand the tournament or not by the end of the year because they have to invite bids from countries interested in staging the 2016 finals and prospective bidders need to know if they will be hosting a 16, 20 or 24 team event.)
