Last-minute Lahm sinks Turkey

A 90th-minute goal from Philipp Lahm has given Germany an undeserved 3-2 victory over Turkey in the first Euro 2008 semi-final.

Despite being outplayed for much of the encounter, the Germans battled, and have Lahm to thank for progressing to the final. It was rough justice for the determined Turks, who played superbly throughout the contest despite missing many of its stars through injury and suspension.

Ugur Boral gave Turkey the lead on 22 minutes, but Bastian Schweinsteiger restored parity four minutes later with a neat finish. Miroslav Klose headed Germany ahead with 10 minutes to play after Turkish goalkeeper Rustu Recber misjudged a high ball, but Semih Senturk equalised on 86 minutes after equally suspect goalkeeping from Jens Lehmann. But it was Lahm who scored the goal of the match in the last minute of normal time to send Germany into the final.

The result ends Turkey's fairytale run, which saw the side get out of jail twice earlier in the tournament, even in the face of mounting squad absentees. Veteran manager Fatih Terim certainly instilled self-belief in the Turks, and if not for missing a number of chances against the Germans, he and his team may well have found themselves in the final.

For the Germans, their performance was poor, particularly in defence. The back four never looked comfortable, as they failed to close down the lively Turkish attack often enough. The midfield was also ordinary defensively, but they still somehow managed to craft enough chances required to score three goals. It was this ruthlessness that the Turkish display lacked, perhaps understandably given the youth in the side.

Missing the suspended Arda Turan, Tuncay Sanli and Emre Asik, as well as injured captain Nihat, Terim joked in the press that reserve goalkeeper Tolga Zengin may be required as an outfield player. This expectedly didn't transpire, and replacements came in the form of Ugur Boral, Ayhan Akman, Semih Senturk and Mehmet Aurelio.

German manager Joachim Low opted for the same XI that impressively defeated Portugal, resisting the temptation to rush back Torsten Frings, who is still recovering from a fractured rib.

Unexpectedly, it was Turkey which began the game brighter, and in an entertaining first-half, the Turks crafted a number of early opportunities.

An early Lahm mistake nearly let in Hamit Altintop, but Lehmann was sharply off his line to avert the danger. Sloppiness in the German defence became a hallmark of the contest, and they were nearly made to pay five minutes later.

After a neat buildup down the right, more pedestrian defending allowed Colin Kazim-Richards to lash a shot against the crossbar, and a follow-up cross from the left forced a smart clearance with Semih ready to pounce.

But the Germans did not heed the warnings, and after 22 minutes they found themselves a goal behind. Altintop's cross from the right was flicked onto the crossbar by Kazim-Richards, but the rebound was met by Boral, who scrambled the ball over the line despite Lehmann's best efforts.

The goal was well deserved, but the economical Germans were sparked into action, and they pulled level less than five minutes later. Thomas Hitzlsperger released Lukas Podolski on the left flank, and his low cross was deftly flicked inside the far post by Schweinsteiger.

Germany's goal was against the run of play, but rather than lose concentration, the Turks continued to press forward. A deep Altintop free kick forced Lehmann to tip over, before another free kick out wide from Mehmet Topal needed to be double-fisted away.

Frings was brought on by Low at half-time in place of the injured Simon Rolfes, but his input was minimal, and he too failed to trigger Germany into action after the interval.

The game's first controversy came after 51 minutes, when Lahm appeared to be bundled over by Sabri Sarioglu on the edge of the penalty area. There appeared to be enough contact to give a foul, let alone a penalty, but Swiss referee Massimo Busacca waved play on. The entire German bench furiously protested the decision, and the Turks could consider themselves somewhat lucky from this incident.

There were fewer chances throughout the second half, with Hitzlsperger firing high and wide from two separate long-range efforts. Germany's play was marginally better in the second half as the Turks began to sit back, but the team still lacked a cutting edge, and it took a howler from Rustu to produce the game's third goal.

After cutting in from the left, Lahm floated in a high cross. Rustu charged off his line to try and claim it, but he was beaten to it by Klose, who headed into the unguarded net.

Again, the Turks could have conceded defeat, but instead they raced up the other end and equalised. Lahm, who defended poorly for the entire game despite his attacking abilities, was made to look poor by Sabri, and Sabri's low cross to the near post was poked home by Semih. Lehmann should never have been beaten inside his near post, but his defence was equally to blame after more lax marking.

But with the game seemingly headed to extra-time, Germany ended Turkey's fairytale in the last minute of normal time. After again cutting inside from the left, Lahm played a clever one-two with Hitzlsperger, before lashing the ball past Rustu with all the prowess of a striker.

There was to be no late Turkish heroics tonight, as Tumer Metin wasted their final opportunity with a disappointing free kick deep into stoppage time.

Relief was the common feeling for the Germans, who in typical style had gained the result through sheer efficiency. They now await the winner of the other semi-final between Spain and Russia before Sunday's final in Vienna.

Ratings

Germany
1 - Lehmann - 5 - Looked suspect on both goals. A potential weak link in the final.
3 - Friedrich - 6 - Fine.
6 - Rolfes - 5 - Struggled before being replaced at half time.
7 - Schweinsteiger - 7 - Classy goal. Otherwise in and out.
11 - Klose - 7 - Worked hard.
13 - Ballack - 6 - Quiet.
15 - Hitzlsperger - 7 - Drove Germany forward in the second half.
16 - Lahm - 7 - Defended poorly, but attacked superbly.
17 - Mertesacker - 5 - Appalling distribution from defence. Uncomfortable.
20 - Podolski - 7 - Dangerous as always.
21 - Metzelder - 6 - Okay.

(SUB) 2 - Jansen - 6 - No time.
(SUB) 8 - Frings - 6 - Failed to impose himself.

Turkey
1 - Recber Rustu - 5 - Made critical error with scores level.
3 - Hakan Balta - 6 - Defended well.
4 - Gokhan Zan - 6 - Handled Klose well for the most part.
6 - Mehmet Topal - 5 - Out of position, and at fault for first goal.
7 - Mehmet Aurelio - 6 - Didn't get forward as often as he could've.
9 - Semih Senturk - 8 - Worked hard, and was rewarded with goal.
16 - Ugur Boral - 7 - Tireless on left side.
18 - Kazim Kazim - 7 - Excellent first half, but faded.
19 - Ayhan Akman - 6 - Industrious.
20 - Sabri Sarioglu - 6 - Poor in defence, more dangerous going forward.
22 - Hamit Altintop - 6 - Didn't influence the game enough.

(SUB) 10 - Gokdeniz Karadeniz - 6 - Little time.
(SUB) 11 - Tumer Metin - 6 - No time.
(SUB) 21 - Mehmet Erdinc - 6 - Little time.