Turkey qualified for Euro 2008 thanks to a 1-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the last qualifying match in November 2007. With 24 points, Turkey scraped past Norway — a single point behind them — to get the second Group C spot and send themselves to Austria and Switzerland this summer.
Turkey won seven of their qualifiers, scoring 25 goals in the process but the campaign’s turning point came four days before the Malta clash when they came back from a goal down in Oslo to beat Norway 2-1. The result gave them the impetus to then go on and get the three points needed for qualification 96 hours later.
Whether Turkey can produce the type of performances (and crucially get the similar momentum) they did during their momentous World Cup run in 2002 remains to be seen. But in Hakan Sukur they have one of Europe’s most lethal strikers, truly a headache for any defence, coach Fatih Terim has the right combination of experience and flair and with a solid backline, there is no reason why Turkey cannot progress.
Although speculation exists about whether Terim will still be in charge after the tournament, the renowned disciplinarian will not let any distractions upset his side. If he is to go, then what better send off could his players give him than winning Euro 2008?
Turkey Euro 2008 Squad
Head coach: Fatih Terim
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Back to Euro 2008 Squads.
More Euro 2008 Information.
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