Can you spell classic?

For a long time to come the word classic will be spelt T-U-R-K-E-Y.

Portugal vs Switzerland was on at the same time, and needless to say apart from the goals, I didn't catch much of the match. Not with a cracker of a game on the other channel. From the little I saw, Portugal had the upper hand until Hakan Yakin scored the first goal for the Swiss. He sealed the win with a coolly taken spotkick and ran over to the bench to celebrate with his team. With a bit more luck Switzerland could easily have qualified for the quarterfinals. Köbi Kuhn's reign is over, but the players showed just how much respect they had for the man at the end of the game, unveiling a banner saying "Merci Köbi". I don't have much else to say about the game as I wasn't watching it as much as the other one.

Turkey looked down and out, trailing the Czechs 2-0 with 15 minutes to play. The Turks somehow managed to turn it around, booking their place in the quarterfinals. The first 75 minutes of play were decent, but once Arda Turan reduced the deficit, Turkey had an inspired spell of play, pushing forward at every opportunity and laying siege to the Czech goal. Ironically, it was this style of play that had given the Czechs their second goal, a swift counter attack finished off by Jaroslav Plašil. Turkey were also extremely fortunate not to fall 3 behind when Jan Polák hit the post, which would surely have killed off the game.

The Czechs adopted the strategy of utilising Jan Koller's height as their primary target. The target man was unplayable at times, jumping high above every Turkish defender to knock down headers for his grateful teammates and his goal was a perfect example of how valuable his height was. Servet Çetin had a torrid time trying to defend against the giant beanpole striker who simply played simple but effective football, to the benefit of his teammates. Plašil's goal came on the counter attack when most of the Turks were stranded in the Czech half. His lung bursting run to meet the cross paid off handsomely and the Czechs had one foot in the quarterfinals. In fact, the Czechs were cruising until Turan's goal. It galvanised Turkey and they were completely dominant after that, almost camped in the Czech half of the field. Their efforts looked to be in vain until Petr Čech fumbled a cross from Hamit Altıntop, giving Nihat Kahveci the simple task of sidefooting home. A minute later, Nihat completed the remarkable turnaround. All the pre-game talk was about the possible penalty shootout for the first time in a group game. I was certainly hoping for it. It would have been a treat for neutrals and a historic occasion. However, the drama within 90 minutes was more than enough to satisfy those wanting a good game. Who would have expected one of the best keepers in the world to fumble crosses he usually takes without trying? To be fair, it was raining and the ball was probably a lot more slippery than usual but you'd still expect Čech to take that cross comfortably. And Nihat coming up with such a brilliant finish to give Turkey the lead so late in the game was simply unbelievable. Demirel Volkan's red card was the only sour note of the night, the Turkish keeper foolishly pushing Koller to the ground. When will these players learn? A moment of foolishness cost him the opportunity to play in the quarterfinals. Tuncay Şanlı going in goal was an amusing sight though. You could see him trying to put on a brave face, while wearing Demirel's goalkeeper's jersey inside out. When was the last time you saw an international fixture this dramatic? The term classic and epic is used to describe many matches but I don't think it would be out of place to describe this as one of those classic matches. It had everything, bar penalties. Goals, red cards, comebacks, it had simply everything. I don't think we'll see a better match at the Euros this year. If we do, we can only thank our lucky stars for the privilege of watching such a game. Last night's match showed the world why so many of us watch this beautiful game. Let's hope there will be more to come.