Turkey can go all the way to Euro final: coach

Turkey coach Fatih Terim said he wants his side to beat Croatia in Friday's Euro 2008 quarter-final in Vienna and then go all the way to the final in the Austrian capital on June 29.

Turkey again showed why they are the come-back kings with a stunning late win over the Czech Republic on Sunday by turning a 2-0 deficit with 15 minutes left into a 3-2 win to reach the last eight as Group A runners-up.

Turkish captain Nihat Kahveci's brace with just minutes left in the winner-takes-all game booked a quarter-final tie against Group B winners and Germany-slayers Croatia in Vienna.

And now Terim, nicknamed the Emperor by Turkish fans, wants to go all the way to the final.

“Croatia are a good side, they beat Germany, but we are a good team too and we will get better as each day passes,” said Terim, whose side also stunned Switzerland last week 2-1 when they scored the winning goal in extra time.

“They have a young team, they play well, but as far as we are concerned we will go to Vienna and lets hope we stay there, it is winner takes all now.

“We respect all teams, but we fear no one.”

Terim said his team's stunning late comeback against the Czechs was testament to their ability to fight until the end.

“I'm proud that I have players who know that the match ends with the referee's whistle,” said the 54-year-old former AC Milan boss.

“We showed the whole world what kind of a team we are.

“We came here to play to the end. We're working to make that goal come true.”

With the scores level on 2-2 with just over a minute remaining, the match looked set to be decided by an historic penalty shoot-out with both sides having identical records in the Group A table.

But Kahveci's winner sent Turkey into seventh heaven and broke Czech hearts.

“Just as we were preparing for penalty kicks I signalled to score a third goal if the chance came up and it worked,” said Terim.

“In my career, I never ever thought of giving up on a game.

“I am a person who never loses hope I have seen many things happen in the last minutes of game, that is the beauty of football.

“I am aware of what our team can do and I think our team likes dramatic finishes, lets hope we can win matches a little sooner next time.”