Yesterday I was actually reading the entry which marked the turning point in me becoming a supporter of the German national team. It has been two years since the World Cup, and I was really worried and scared it will happen again.
The pain of watching Germany exiting in the semi-final stage once more. For a moment watching the semi-final match between Germany-Turkey, the fear did struck me. It wasn't really the best of wins (and looking at how Turkey played...speaking as a Germany supporter myself, one will thought they have a full-strength squad and Germany having the injuries and key suspensions of players), I still have to pinch myself in the afternoon that Germany are through to the final. I could have almost wanted to cry, happily. Not since England 1996 have the German national team got this far. As someone who was eight-going on-nine years of age the last time Germany lifted the trophy as a unified country (they had won it twice as West Germany) and me didn't witnessed it then, at least I can finally say this time that I had witnessed them advancing to the final.
I know maybe it's a little strange saying that. Given actually especially during the second-half, three times where the broadcast of the match was broke down due to storm which happened in Vienna (where it hit the International Broadcast Centre which is also based there and where the live feed is transmitted to around the world and the BBC explained for the loss in transmission and they moved the coverage to their Radio Five Live commentary until the live feed is back again). Which means fans who were watching the match in Vienna through the 'fan mile' over there have to be evacuated. And me watching the match here...I was almost in a state of panic (in the end I have to keep refreshing over here for the developments). Even all the more as a Germany supporter. As I was watching the Euro 2008 Premium Channel this afternoon, there was a message crawling below the screen explaining why we could not receive the broadcast at times. UEFA explained what happened today in its daily media briefing and promised it will not happen again (the Russia-Spain semi-final and the final will both held in Vienna and weather forecasts these days has been that there will be bad weather). Mother Nature is striking this time but then, broadcasters could demand compensation from UEFA (given it's Europe's football governing body which provide the feed).
Well, I did watched the repeat. And no, no breakdown in transmission this time. And I totally love Germany coach Joachim Loew's reactions...especially after Philipp Lahm (who was partly responsible for the Turkey equaliser which sent the match into a 2-2 draw), the one who scored in the opener of the World Cup two years ago against Costa Rica, was the one who scored the eventual goal to send Germany to the final. Not only did I watched the repeat of the match, the highlights as well and I giggled each time (the reason for my giggling, this is one of the reasons why). Loew has never been like this before, as far as I can remember. But then again, at least now he has accomplished what his popular (and charismatic) predecessor Juergen Klinsmann have not achieved - Sending Germany into the final of a major tournament. Germany lost to eventual winners Italy in the semi-final two years ago during the World Cup.
Considering the fact that Turkey is almost on the verge of pulling another upset, that was when the fear of Germany exiting in the semi-final returned for me. Turkey may have bow out this time, I have to say they perform better than the Germans...like from the first whistle. Even if they are through, I will definitely say they deserve to be in the final. The Turks have almost become the real story of this tournament and I may not remember veteran keeper Reçber Rüştü from six years ago during the 2002 World Cup (he was at goal then, and his side went all the way to be third in the tournament eventually), I do now. Together with the rest of his teammates. My father woke up minutes after the match in Basel was over and when he saw Rüştü on the TV screen (he don't remember the name actually), he remembered Reçber Rüştü did played in the 2002 World Cup. Just like my father's memory of Miroslav Klose from six years ago, the one who always uses his head to score (Klose did that again against Turkey to make it 2-1).
So, is it luck or just being experienced and having the will to win which really sent Germany into the final? As far as cliches go in football, never write off the Germans. And another in the form of former England international Gary Lineker saying - 'Football is a simple game, 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win'. But as I was watching the preview show on the Premium Channel, the presenters were discussing why Germany always managed to achieve where England had failed and one of them was saying that the Germans go into a match having the will to win, while the English go into a match thinking they cannot lose. And reading what even an Englishman has to say about the Germans in the match against Turkey, the winning mentality is there (even though this time the performance was not up to standard, not the one everyone remembered from the World Cup). As a supporter, I may be confused as to how come the boys can go from one convincing win to a sub-par performance the next but if as a neutral, one can't help but 'have to admire the Germans' (taken from the link). Maybe 'Jogi' has almost lost the plot again (in the tactics department) or got it right again, I don't know.
Or maybe after the win over Portugal in the quarter-finals, the boys starting to be a little complacent. Coming into that match, Germany was the underdogs for once (after Portugal's performance in the group stages). Maybe it's best to be the underdogs so that the pressure is not there. One has nothing to lose. I had always hated the media for always calling Germay the pre-tournament favourites. And there was one tackle which should have been a penalty during the Germany-Turkey match but, oh well.
As for the guys who were part of the action against Turkey, Philipp Lahm was relieved as his goal cancelled out a glaring error which led to the 2-2 equaliser, Bastian Schweinsteiger says an iron will and some traditional German determination led them to be in the final, Miroslav Klose is saying that they have to improve for the final. And does having too much of a rest not good for footballers in between a major tournament? It looked like the case for the teams that have being knocked out in the quarter-finals (except for the case of Group D winners Spain which is still in the tournament) as Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann thinks so. Back then, the Germans were the first to book their semi-final spot, remember?
For the Turkish community in Germany, hope had turned to sadness but backing their host nation in the final will be something they will do. There are minor scuffles in the country but nothing really serious as feared. Oof. So where is Turkey coach really heading next? He himself said after the match that he will not work in Turkey next season (it will not be the first time he is venturing abroad as he used to work in Italy with AC Milan, though the stint was not a happy one for him). Days before the Germany encounter, he revealed that he will like a return to Italy, even if it's coaching a Serie B (the second division in Italian football) side. While the Turkish press praised their national heroes despite the loss, the German press felt their national team were lucky to beat Turkey. And I say 'national heroes' is becaue the Turkish players received a hero's welcome when they landed in Istanbul. Regarding the fate of Turkey's veteran goalkeeper Rustu Recber, he had announced his interational retirement.
Maybe it's not the way many had expected of how the Germans enter the final, but maybe it's time for Joachim Loew to finally step out of Juergen Klinsmann's shadow. I always had the feeling Loew is not well-received in Germany and reading the link from TODAY website (I posted it earlier), it confirmed what I had secretly suspected. If I am not wrong in my Internet readings, Loew's future as the national coach was raised before the match against Austria. After all prior to that, his side lost to Croatia.
Maybe...it's also time to say that I have a dream. It has to do with the final and I am not saying it here. What I can say is that this are the photos from the match.
Match thought of the day: Winning is one thing, winning ugly is...another. Spain may have done that against Italy in penalty shootout but it's a fact for them that they had finally managed to beat their bogey team in the quarter-finals and so, maybe it does not matter much how they did it. Germany may come under that as well (i.e. winning ugly), or I don't know. Just don't make me think about how Deutsche Welle approached the 3-2 win over Turkey.
Can anything stop Germany at Euro 2008? (Germany made it into the final of Euro 2008 despite playing some truly awful football against Turkey. The question now is can anything stop them winning their fourth European Championship in Sunday’s final in Vienna? Fans back home in Germany missed some of the second half after a storm in Vienna caused a problem with the TV signal. That was a shame, because it was only in the last few minutes in Basel that Germany actually started playing the way they should have done all along.)
Turkey's Terim deserves another at a big club (Turkey coach Fatim Terim said he would probably leave following their unlucky 3-2 defeat by Germany in the Euro 2008 semi-finals. Given the way his determined and depleted side played and the gracious manner in which Terim conducted himself, a move to a big European club may not be far away. Of course the former Galatasaray boss already had short stints at AC Milan and Fiorentina at the start of the decade. The Italian media and fans were suspicious of a Turkish manager and he was not given ample time to show what he could do.)
