Euro 2008 - Semifinals: Philipp Lahm Sends Germany to Euro Cup Final
June 26th 2008 00:15
This game had it all. Goals, frustration, lapses in concentration, chess-like coaching, and power outages. In fact, there were two TV blackouts that prevented millions of viewers from watching a large chunk of the second half.
Both coaches decided to go with a 4-5-1 formation. Germany had the same starting eleven as in the quarterfinals with Klose as the lone striker while Turkey had to make the best of their available players (18 players instead of the usual 23, many of those on the bench not 100% fit), basically putting together a makeshift team (midfielder Sabri had to play right-back while defensive midfielder Mehmet Topal played center-back).
Despite this setback, it was Turkey who appeared as the most dangerous team in the initial stages with four shots in the first twenty minutes – two of those hitting the crossbar. They finally scored the first goal at the 22nd minute via Ugur Boral who buried the rebound of Kazim Kazim's shot which had hit the crossbar. The goal was the result of a lack of concentration from the Germans who didn't pick up all Turkish players on a throw-in situation. Four minutes later, Germany equalized with their second shot on goal (their first real chance) – in a perfect copy of their first goal against Portugal, Lukas Podolski delivered a low cross to the near post where Bastian Schweinsteiger deftly sent the ball inside the far post. The match quickly settled after that with the logjam of players in midfield, making any structured play virtually impossible. Interestingly enough, the match was played almost exclusively on Germany's left side where both Podolski and Lahm couldn't handle the endless pressure from Turkish players. Perhaps Fatih Terim thought that barricading this wing would reduce Germany's chances while raising his team's chances. It certainly worked in the first half as Lahm didn't seem to be his usual self - he often took the wrong decisions, putting his team in danger several times. At halftime, Turkey held a 15-3 shots advantage. They were the better team out there and yet the score was level at 1-1.
There was only one substitution at the beginning of the second half. The veteran midfielder Torsten Frings replaced Simon Rolfes who had suffered a head injury late in the first half. Other than that, it was as they were for the two teams for most of the second period, each coach waiting for the other to make a move. The tight contest quickly led to frustration on both sides as referee Massimo Busacca found himself whistling fouls several times in the second half's first fifteen minutes. At the 79th minute, Germany took the lead for the first time in the game as Lahm delivered a cross right on Klose's head. In response, Fatih Terim proceeded to two substitutions, replacing midfielder Akman by forward Mevlut Erdinc at the 81st minute, and Boral by Karadeniz at the 84th minute. Two minutes after their second substitution, the Turks equalized. After beating Lahm on the wing, Sabri delivered a low cross to Semih Senturk who managed to get the ball past Lehmann despite having practically no angle. The Germans weren't about to declare themselves beaten though. At the 90th minute, Lahm took the ball up his wing, passed to Hitzlsperger who quickly returned the favor, leaving the defender to face the opposing goaltender in a one-on-one. At that point, Lahm had several options. He could've passed the ball to Schweinsteiger who was standing right next to him when he received the pass or, as a right-footed player on the left wing, he could fire a shot at either post. He finally chose the near post and struck a perfect shot over a sprawling Rustu. With four minutes left to play, the Turks couldn't recover, especially when Joachim Löw took out Klose for another defender.
So Germany goes on to the final and they'll surely be the favorites. After one faux pas against Croatia in the group stage, they have shwon remarkable mental strength and the ability to exploit other teams' weaknesses. Hats off to Turkey though. They were decimated by injuries and suspensions and yet, they still held their ground against Germany.
My man of the match: Philipp Lahm. His match today symbolizes the performance of this German team during the tournament. He had an uneasy start but was the origin of his team's second and third goal, first assisting then scoring the winner in the last minute of regulation time. I was expecting him to score sometime in this tournament and his strike today was probably the most important goal for Germany in the competition.
Both coaches decided to go with a 4-5-1 formation. Germany had the same starting eleven as in the quarterfinals with Klose as the lone striker while Turkey had to make the best of their available players (18 players instead of the usual 23, many of those on the bench not 100% fit), basically putting together a makeshift team (midfielder Sabri had to play right-back while defensive midfielder Mehmet Topal played center-back).
Despite this setback, it was Turkey who appeared as the most dangerous team in the initial stages with four shots in the first twenty minutes – two of those hitting the crossbar. They finally scored the first goal at the 22nd minute via Ugur Boral who buried the rebound of Kazim Kazim's shot which had hit the crossbar. The goal was the result of a lack of concentration from the Germans who didn't pick up all Turkish players on a throw-in situation. Four minutes later, Germany equalized with their second shot on goal (their first real chance) – in a perfect copy of their first goal against Portugal, Lukas Podolski delivered a low cross to the near post where Bastian Schweinsteiger deftly sent the ball inside the far post. The match quickly settled after that with the logjam of players in midfield, making any structured play virtually impossible. Interestingly enough, the match was played almost exclusively on Germany's left side where both Podolski and Lahm couldn't handle the endless pressure from Turkish players. Perhaps Fatih Terim thought that barricading this wing would reduce Germany's chances while raising his team's chances. It certainly worked in the first half as Lahm didn't seem to be his usual self - he often took the wrong decisions, putting his team in danger several times. At halftime, Turkey held a 15-3 shots advantage. They were the better team out there and yet the score was level at 1-1.
There was only one substitution at the beginning of the second half. The veteran midfielder Torsten Frings replaced Simon Rolfes who had suffered a head injury late in the first half. Other than that, it was as they were for the two teams for most of the second period, each coach waiting for the other to make a move. The tight contest quickly led to frustration on both sides as referee Massimo Busacca found himself whistling fouls several times in the second half's first fifteen minutes. At the 79th minute, Germany took the lead for the first time in the game as Lahm delivered a cross right on Klose's head. In response, Fatih Terim proceeded to two substitutions, replacing midfielder Akman by forward Mevlut Erdinc at the 81st minute, and Boral by Karadeniz at the 84th minute. Two minutes after their second substitution, the Turks equalized. After beating Lahm on the wing, Sabri delivered a low cross to Semih Senturk who managed to get the ball past Lehmann despite having practically no angle. The Germans weren't about to declare themselves beaten though. At the 90th minute, Lahm took the ball up his wing, passed to Hitzlsperger who quickly returned the favor, leaving the defender to face the opposing goaltender in a one-on-one. At that point, Lahm had several options. He could've passed the ball to Schweinsteiger who was standing right next to him when he received the pass or, as a right-footed player on the left wing, he could fire a shot at either post. He finally chose the near post and struck a perfect shot over a sprawling Rustu. With four minutes left to play, the Turks couldn't recover, especially when Joachim Löw took out Klose for another defender.
So Germany goes on to the final and they'll surely be the favorites. After one faux pas against Croatia in the group stage, they have shwon remarkable mental strength and the ability to exploit other teams' weaknesses. Hats off to Turkey though. They were decimated by injuries and suspensions and yet, they still held their ground against Germany.
My man of the match: Philipp Lahm. His match today symbolizes the performance of this German team during the tournament. He had an uneasy start but was the origin of his team's second and third goal, first assisting then scoring the winner in the last minute of regulation time. I was expecting him to score sometime in this tournament and his strike today was probably the most important goal for Germany in the competition.
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