The New Nation - Internet Edition

Comeback kings Turkey edge into semis

AFP, Vienna

Turkey lived up to their billing as comeback kings with a 3-1 penalty shoot-out win over Croatia here on Friday to put them into the Euro 2008 semi-finals.

The spot-kick lottery was called for after the sides were inseparable at 1-1 after extra-time, both of those goals coming in the dying minutes of what up to then had been a forgettable affair.

Ivan Klasnic put Croatia into a 119th minute lead - for his second in successive matches - only for Turkey to level in the first minute of time added on thanks to substitute Semih Senturk.

Croatia then fell apart, with Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic shooting wide and Mladen Petric having his spot-kick saved by Turkey keeper Rustu Recber, who turned from villain to hero having made a terrible mistake to gift the Croats their goal.

Turkey, making their first appearance in the semi-finals, face Germany in Basel on Wednesday.

Turkey coach Fatih Terim, who was in charge when Turkey lost 1-0 to Croatia in Euro 96 in the group stages, was ecstatic.

"What has happened to us is unique in our history," said Terim, who was not in charge when Turkey made the 2002 World Cup semi-finals.

"We have become one of the great footballing nations. Our people can rejoice. And if our people are proud of us then we are proud of them," added Terim, whose nickname 'The Emperor' is taking on a realistic hue.

His Croat counterpart Slaven Bilic was remarkably calm after seeing his dreams dashed in a matter of seconds.

"It's incredible but that is why football is the most beautiful sport in the world," said the 39-year-old, who had to mask his own emotions at the end of the match to console his distraught players.

"I congratulate Turkey but we have beaten better opponents and the last two minutes I cannot begin to describe, both our goal and theirs and then penalties.

"The pain of this defeat will stay with me for a long time.

"It will haunt us forever."

After Germany's drama-laden first quarter final win over Portugal the night before, this second quarter-final was a big let down, with chances as rare as empty seats in the Ernst Happel stadium.

Bilic fielded the same team that defeated Germany in the group stages, with only two players Danijel Panijec and Rakitic surviving from the side that lined up against Poland on Monday.

Turkey turned up at the Ernst Happel stadium with half a dozen of their first team missing from injury or suspension.

Veteran keepr Rustu came in for Volkan Demirel, sent off against the Czech Republic, and Terim also handed a start to London-born Kazim Kazim, who led the attack with Nihat Kahveci.

With so many absentees another headache for Terim was that eight of his players were one booking away from missing the semi-final, should they make it.

Croatia will never know how they didn't go into the lead in the 18th minute, Ivica Olic being guilty of a criminal miss.

Darijo Srna set up the move laying the ball on to Modric who raced down the right of the box to cross for Olic only for the Hamburg striker's shot to hit the crossbar from only a couple of metres directly in front of goal .

To add insult to injury Niko Kranjcar missed with his header from the rebound.

Tottenham signing Modric summed up the mood of frustration, banging the Austrian turf repeatedly with his fist in frustration.

The Croats it was who looked more dangerous in the rare moments they were able to break the Turkish defence, with Rustu quick to deal with a Kranjcar effort in the 58th minute.

The match had a goal from Olic shortly after but it was disallowed for offside.

Terim then made his first substitution, taking off the ineffective Kazim Kazim for Ugur Boral, and Bilic followed, bringing off Kranjcar for Petric.

Minutes later Rakitic squandered Croatia's second gilt-edged chance, his close range shot, after being set up by Olic, flying high over Rustu's bar.

With quarter of an hour left of normal time Terim switched midfielder Mehmet Topal for Fenerbahce striker Senturk in search of that elusive goal.

On 84 minutes, as Croatia maintained their almost constant pressure, Rustu earned his wages and some when only his outstretched hands edged out Srna's finely struck 20m freekick.

Extra time produced the badly needed fireworks, but only in the dying minutes.

Croatia thought they'd grabbed the winner when Klasnic struck but unbelievably after such a turgid affair Turkey hit back with Senturk equalising with a great shot into the top left hand corner to force the spot kicks.

The win came at a price to Turkey who will be missing Tuncay Sanli, Arda Turan and Emre Asik due to suspension after this trio picked up their second yellow cards of the competition while Nihat went off during extra-time clutching his groin.

Aussie great warns of 'cruel' Beijing marathon

AFP, Sydney

Australia's former world champion Rob de Castella has warned competitors in the Beijing Olympics marathon face cruel conditions from the city's chronic pollution, reports said Saturday.

De Castella, who won the marathon at the 1983 Helsinki world championships, fears the world's endurance athletes will face the most difficult climatic conditions the Games have faced since Los Angeles 24 years ago.

"The conditions will be very, very cruel, and in an event like the marathon it is so tough," de Castella told The Australian newspaper. "I think we will see a huge attrition rate in Beijing, and it's going to take its toll on athletes."

This week the Chinese government announced that more than one million cars will be banned from Beijing's streets during the Olympics in an effort to curb pollution and ease traffic gridlock.

De Castella said he hopes what he encountered during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic marathon will not be repeated in Beijing.

De Castella went into that race as world record-holder but struggled to finish fifth.

"I suffered considerably," he said. "By the finish, my right eye had swollen up so I was hardly able to see out of it.

"I think that was a direct result of the pollution, the swelling went down after a couple of days. But given what happened to my eye you have to wonder what was going on with my other functions.

"One never knows for certain how much of an effect those pollutants are going to have, but some individuals are more susceptible than others.

"If all things were equal the best athlete would still win, but any athlete with any respiratory sensitivity will be much more severely affected."

Marathon world record-holder Haile Gebrselassie has already announced that he will not run the road race in Beijing because he fears for his health, an outcome that de Castella describes as "a bit of a tragedy".

"It's sad for the fans and it's even sadder for him," de Castella said. "If he won an Olympic marathon gold medal to go with his other medals he would go down as the greatest distance runner the world has seen."

Windies romp to Twenty20 victory

BBC Online

West Indies delighted a patient crowd with a seven-wicket win over Australia in a rain-shortened Twenty20 encounter.

The match in Barbados had to be reduced to 11 overs per side and Australia set a tough target by scoring 97-3.

Luke Ronchi (36) and Shaun Marsh (29) marked their international debuts by sharing an opening partnership of 57.

But Xavier Marshall set West Indies on their way with 36 and Dwayne Bravo hit three sixes in an unbeaten 28 to see them home with 11 balls to spare.

Following the Test series which Australia won 2-0, both sides had a totally different look.

The tourists brought in Cameron White, David Hussey, Shane Watson and James Hopes along with Marsh and Ronchi, all of them having played in the recent Indian Premier League.

West Indies, meanwhile, gave debuts to batsmen William Perkins and Andre Fletcher and fast bowler Kemar Roach.

And it was Perkins who played the most audacious shot of the match by squatting low to flip fast bowler Brett Lee over his shoulder for four.

The home side had plenty to play for with places up for grabs in a £10m winner-takes-all match against England, backed by Antigua-based billionaire Sir Allen Stanford, later this year.

But following the delayed start, Australia wasted no time in getting the scorecard ticking over as Marsh lofted a superbly timed straight six off Jerome Taylor in the opening over.

The left-hander, son of former Australia batsman Geoff Marsh, later added another off Roach but one ball later was superbly caught by Marshall, running around the leg-side boundary.

It was Roach's second wicket, having had Ronchi caught in his previous over, but Bravo's second-ball dismissal of Hussey, whose brother Mike was also in the Australian team, was their only other success.

The West Indies batsmen had no time to assess the bowling as they began their reply but the highly promising Marshall showed he did not need to by hooking the first ball for six off a startled Lee.

The 22-year-old Jamaican continued in the same vein, depositing two balls into the crowd in Mitchell Johnson's opening over, which cost 20 runs.

Marshall dominated a first-wicket stand of 53 with Perkins, scoring his runs off only 15 balls before he was smartly run out by Watson, who fielded off his own bowling.

Perkins went the same way for nine, beaten by Ricky Ponting's direct hit at the bowler's end and Denesh Ramdin only managed eight before he was caught in the deep off Watson.

But Bravo hoisted a long-hop from leg-spinner White over the rope at backward square leg, slashed Johnson over deep third man and finished off the match with another six, this time launching a ball from Watson over mid-wicket.

Spanish out to learn from history

AFP, Paris

When Spanish fans ask how a side which has produced attacking talents such as Raul and Emilio Butragueno and goalkeepers of the calibre of Iker Casillas and Andoni Zubizarreta never wins anything they often end up blaming their Latin cousins Italy.

And with good reason.

The Spanish are past masters of shooting out of the blocks at World Cups and European Championships.

Then around the quarter-finals it usually ends in tears.

The Italians, in contrast start slowly, apparently indifferent as to whether they even make it out of the opening group phase.

They invariably do - and having done so have a habit of then speeding up all the way to the final day of an event - witness four World Cups and one European title, in 1968.

"Slow and steady wins the race," as Aesop's fable of the tortoise besting the hare would have it.

Spanish coach Luis Aragones insists that Spain must win the match in their minds as well as on the pitch, where La Furia Roja have only ever captured one trophy - the 1964 European Championship.

They did reach the 1984 final but lost to France and since then appear to have developed a quarter-final complex.

"A team which wants to win has to be convinced of its ability to do so and work on achieving that.

"We will try to ensure they do not hit us on the counter-attack," added the "Wise Man of Hortaleza."

Striker Fernando Torres says Italy are favourites because "Italy are the current world champions and that's not an accident. Their history makes them favourites."

And just like his coach, he urged his compatriots to beware the counter attack.

Aragones' stress on the psychological side of winning hits a nerve in Spain as they have been here before.

The Italians came off best in the 1994 World Cup quarters, an ugly affair in which Spanish midfielder Enrique had his nose broken by an elbow jab from Italian defender Mauro Tassotti as Spain lost 2-1.

The Squadra Azzurra also won the 1934 World Cup meet at the same stage.

Midfielder David Silva picks out the Italians' Bayern Munich striker Luca Toni as the man they must keep on a leash.

"We know defensively Italy are very good and have a dangerman up front in Luca Toni. We must try to move the ball around as quickly as possible," says Silva, recognising that to play the Italians at their own slow-burning game could "really cost us."

Crucially, although Spain are on a run of nine straight wins ten would be a record - they have not beaten Italy at a major competition for 88 years.

Sunday's date of June 22 is additionally particularly inauspicious for Spanish football following three exits by the national team in quarter-finals of international competitions on that date.

Spain was eliminated on June 22 in penalty shootouts against Belgium in the World Cup in 1986, against England in Euro 1996 and against South Korea at the 2002 World Cup.

But they can take some comfort from the fact that Italy will be without suspended key midfielders Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso while the Azzurri must make do and mend at the back with Andrea Barzagli out of action as he faces knee surgery.

As Spain look to win a match that could go a long way to shredding their underachievers' tag Italy defender Christian Panucci believes his side have the mental edge amid reports that most Spanish fans fear they will fall by the wayside once more.

"I can understand why the Spanish people don't want to play against Italy because in the past it has not been easy for Spain to play against Italy in these big competitions," he said.

Bangladesh Cricket team off to Pakistan

Sports Reporter

Bangladesh Cricket team left the city yesterday for Pakistan to compete in the Asia Cup Cricket Tournament scheduled to be held in the different venues of Pakistan from June 24 to July 6.

A total of six teams splitted into two groups are taking part in the cricket competition. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates have been billed in Group-A while hosts Pakistan, India, Hong Kong have been placed in Group-B.

Bangladesh will face United Arab Emirates in the opening match of Group -A on June 24.

Bangladesh will meet mighty Sri Lanka in their second Group-A match on June 25. All the matches of the tournament will be Day/Night affairs.

Top two teams from each group will move into the second round. The second round will be held on single-league basis. Top two teams of second round will face each other in the final. The final will be held on July 6.

Third AHF Cup Hockey: Bangladesh in final

Sports Reporter

Bangladesh Hockey team reached the final of the Third AHF Cup Hockey Tournament when they beat Sri Lanka in the semifinal in Singapore on Saturday.

Today Bangladesh will face Oman in the final at 5.00 PM (Bangladesh Standard Time).

Bangladesh led the first half 1-0.

Musa Mia of Bangladesh put his team ahead by a field goal in the 22nd minute of the first half.

After the interval Gazzaly of Sri Lanka equalised the margin from a penalty corner in the 45th minute of the match.

After seven minutes Habul of Bangladesh scored the match-winning goal.

First Division Kabaddi League results

Sports Reporter

Ali Sporting Club, Dhaka Wanderers Club, Manik Nagar Unnayan Shamiti registered wins in the First Division Kabaddi League at the Kabaddi Stadium on Saturday.

In the day's first match, Ali Sporting Club outplayed Dhalpur KC by 54-25 points with three lonas.

The winners led the first half by 23-15 points.

In the day's second match, Dhaka Wanderers Club defeated Srijoni Sangsad by 85-43 points amid five lonas.

The victorious team led the first session by 48-15 points.

In the day's last match, Manik Nagar Unnayan Shamiti beat Diamond Sporting Club by 60-40 points including three lonas.

The pre-lemon session saw a 29-14 points lead for the winners.Today Singna Sangha will take on Matuail Milon Smriti Sangsad at 3.00 PM while Srijoni Sangsad will face Manik Nagar Kabaddi Club at 4.00 PM and Dhaka Wanderers Club will meet Dhalpur KC at 5.00 PM at the same venue.

Bangladesh A reached Ireland

UNB, Dhaka

The Bangladesh A Team reached in the Republic of Ireland capital Dublin Friday afternoon (Dublin time).

The team was received at the airport by Cricket Ireland Chairman David Williams and Bangladeshi community members.

Earlier, the squad had a stopover in London where they were met by officials from the Bangladesh High Commission.

The Bangladesh A side will play four matches in Ireland starting with a three-day affair against Ireland A at College Park, Dublin from June 23-25.

They will travel to the Northwest to play the Ireland National team in a Twenty20 match at Eglinton on June 27.

Bangladesh A will then play a one-day match against Ireland at Bangor on June 29 while the tourists wrap up their Ireland campaign of the UK Tour with another 50 over fixture against Ireland A at Stormont on July 1.

Abahani plays Nepal Police Club in AFC President Cup opener today

UNB, Dhaka

Abahani Limited will start their AFC President Cup campaign today (Sunday) taking on Nepal Police Club in the inaugural match at the MPPJ Stadium in Malaysia.

B League champions Abahani Limited, which was placed in Group A with Pakistan WAPDA, Nepal Police Club and Regar-Tadaz of Tajikistan, will play their 2nd match against Regar-Tadaz on June 24 and the 3rd and last group match against Pakistan WAPDA on June 26, all at the MPPJ Stadium.

Abahani is representing Bangladesh in the AFC President's Club Cup as the B League champions.

Abahani Limited team: Joy, (captain), Biplob, Uzzal, Abul, Zahid, Prantosh, Wali Faisal, Siraji, Nazrul, Sujan, Yousufi, Ibrahim, Sunny, Mamun, Tipu, Obaidur, Prodip, Tareq and Emily.

Japan beat Turkey for second straight win in World GP

AFP, Kobe

Japan squeezed through to a five-set victory over Turkey for their second straight win in the preliminary round of the World Grand Prix women's volleyball tournament on Saturday.

Japan came back from a one-set deficit twice to score a 21-25, 25-16, 17-25, 25-19, 15-12 win over Turkey, the surprise winners over the World Cup bronze medallists the United States on Friday.

Japan led the event with a 2-0 win-loss record, followed by Turkey and the United States each at 1-1 and Kazakhstan 0- 2.

Earlier in the day, the United States, two-time Grand Prix champions, outgunned Kazakhstan 25-16, 25-17, 25-18 in the four-team round robin.

After playing nine matches over three weeks, hosts Japan and the top five teams will take part in the final round in Yokohama from July 9 to 13.