Turky defeat croatia

Penalty kicks prove costly for Croatia

Croatia who were having a great run in the EURO 2008 were stooped by a resiliant Turkish attack!

align="left">The Turks taught the European Championship another lesson in fortitude Friday night to advance to the semifinals with a 3-1 shootout victory over Croatia following a 1-1 draw through injury time. They barely got the goal that forced the penalty kicks that they then dominated.

After a 0-0 draw in regulation, the Croats seemingly won it when Ivan Klasnic put in a header in the 29th minute of extra time. Stunningly, Semih Sunturk, who later scored in the shootout, got the equalizer with seconds remaining, scoring from just inside the area off a free kick taken by goalkeeper Rustu Recber from near midfield.

“There was no time to regret or worry about what had happened,” Turkey midfielder Hamit Altintop said. “We would have time to weep after the referee had blown the final whistle, so we had to play without fear.”

A minute before, Recber’s error allowed Klasnic to score. Recber chased after a ball headed out of bounds, and Luka Modric passed it to Klasnic for a short header.

There were a few good chances to score, though. Croatia striker Ivica Olic hit the crossbar in the 19th minute from close range after a low cross from Modric. In the 83rd, Recber, playing for the suspended Volkan Demirel, preserved the shutout when he made a diving one-handed save on a free kick by Srna.

The Turks were missing four injured players and two under suspension. The veteran Recber, who helped Turkey make the World Cup semifinals six years ago, made the absence of Demirel less painful until his extra-time blunder.


Then he made up for it with his free kick and his work in the shootout.

Back home, cars with horns blaring circled the streets of city centers across the nation, with fans leaning out of the windows waving flags and shouting.

Thanks : Yahoo! sports

Images: Getty images!