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Italy advances Turkey draws Sweden 0-0, picks up first-ever point
Posted: Thursday June 15, 2000 06:33 PM
EINDHOVEN, Netherlands (AP) -- The game between Turkey and Sweden produced one winner -- Italy. Without kicking a ball, Italy qualified for the quarterfinals of Euro 2000 after group rivals Sweden and Turkey played to a dull scoreless draw Thursday, giving Turkey its first-ever point in a European championship final. In a dour and physical game in which skill was a non-factor, the two teams who had lost their opening match maintained a small chance of going through in Monday's final Group B game by plodding to a draw. Italy, which beat Belgium 2-0 Wednesday, leads the group with six points, ahead of the co-hosts, who have three. Turkey and Sweden have one point each. So far no Group B team is eliminated. Sweden plays Italy and Turkey plays Belgium in the final game. Sweden needed to win the game to keep Italy from qualifying for the second round. "I think it was a rather fair result," said Lars Lagerback, one of Sweden's coaches. "The match was even. We didn't have the power in the final third of the pitch to get through. "We tried our best and we still have a little chance if the results go our way," he said. Turkish coach Mustafa Denizli questioned some offside decisions by the referee and criticized Turkish fans for insulting his players. "We couldn't win this game, but the players gave everything," he said. "We still have some hope and we'll do everything to win the third match. "It was a very difficult match played at a very high tempo." Judging by the uninspired performance they produced Thursday, neither Sweden nor Turkey looks likely to advance. Turkey at least could claim some satisfaction for earning its first point in a European championship final. But a lineup stacked with players from UEFA Cup winner Galatasaray should have produced more. Few passes ever found their intended targets on both sides. Neither team was able to put together any meaningful combinations and the crowd booed loudly at the end of the tedious match. Turkey made six changes in its starting lineup after losing its opener 2-1 to Italy and receiving a barrage of criticism. Sweden made four substitutions, and brought on Henrik Larsson, just recovered from a broken leg, from the start. Larsson was used as a substitute in an opening 2-1 loss to Belgium. Sweden immediately put pressure on Turkey and forced a good chance in the third minute. Off a short free kick, Kennet Andersson curled a 25-yard shot around the wall and it took a good save from Rustu Recber to deflect it in a corner. Two minutes later, Suad Kaya was given a yellow card for kicking the ball away. In the 8th minute, Turkey had its first and only chance of the opening half. Hakan Sukur drifted a cross into the penalty area and instead of blasting the ball, Umit Davala tried to finesse it with the inside foot and sent it flying over the goal. It was indicative of the poor skill level on show from both sides. In the worst Euro 2000 game so far, both teams were paralyzed by the fear of losing and being kicked out of the tournament ahead of the final first-round game. Larsson showed a rare flash on skills on the half hour mark, when he backheeled a pass to the onrushing Andersson, but his low shot to the near post was well saved. In front of 33,000 subdued fans in Philips stadium, the game got a brief jolt of controversy: In the 41st minute, Fredrik Ljungberg claimed his foot was clipped by a defender just when he aimed to shoot after rushing through the Turkish defense with only Rustu to beat. Dutch referee Dick Jol shrugged off his vehement protests. The second half started off even worse, with neither of the two teams able to make the least impression on the opposing defense. Finally, Turkey realized that if it could not get close to goal, a long-distance shot was a viable option. Substitute Sergen Yalcin rifled a 24-yard shot in the 72nd minute, and Swedish goalie Magnus Hedman could only bounce it back into the path of Okan Buruk. Okan, who scored Turkey's first-ever European championship goal against Italy, this time steered the rebound over. After that, both sides started packing their defense even more to avoid defeat.
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