How did they perform in UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying?
• Turkey finished second in Group C behind European champions Greece, but made heavy work of qualifying after a stirring start.
• Fatih Terim's team won their first three games without conceding a single goal, Hakan Şükür celebrating his 50th international goal when he struck four in the third of those wins, 5-0 win against Moldova.
• Things got even better when an under-strength Turkey side came from behind to beat Greece 4-1 in Athens in their first qualifier of 2007.
• They then lost their way, however, with a run of one win in six that included a 3-2 defeat in Bosnia-Herzegovina and then a humiliating 2-2 draw in Malta, where Turkey came from behind twice.
• Crisis talk intensified in October 2007 when a 1-1 draw in Moldova was followed by a 1-0 home defeat against Greece, which saw the European champions celebrate qualification in Istanbul.
• Having slipped to third in the section, Turkey reclaimed the initiative with a 2-1 win in Oslo in their penultimate qualifier. A 1-0 home victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina in their final qualifier kept them a point above Norway in second place.
How did they perform in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification round?
• Turkey finished second, two points behind Ukraine, in their 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification round group having won six and drawn five of their twelve matches in the competition. It proved sufficient to provide Turkey with a place in the play-offs, but they lost out on away goals to Switzerland after the sides shared eight goals in their two meetings.
• In a group that featured UEFA EURO 2004™ winners, Greece, as well as Denmark, who also competed in the group stage in Portugal, Turkey's campaign got off to a sluggish start as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Georgia in Trabzon.
• They responded with disciplined away draws in Greece (0-0) and Denmark (1-1) and defeated Kazakhstan (4-0) only to then suffer a 3-0 defeat at home against the Ukrainians with Andriy Shevchenko (17, 88) scoring twice. • It was to be Turkey's only defeat in the qualifying round, and though they would avenge their loss to the Ukrainians with a 1-0 victory in Kiev thanks to Tümer Metin's 55th-minute goal, home draws against both Greece and Denmark ultimately ruined their chance of taking top spot in the group.
• Other victories were recorded against Albania (home and away) and Georgia (away), with their biggest win coming in a 6-0 away defeat of Kazakhstan on 8 June 2005 with Fatih Tekke (13, 85) and Tuncay Şanli (41, 90) helping themselves to two goals apiece.
How did they perform in UEFA EURO 2004™?
• Turkey's UEFA EURO 2004™ adventure fell at the final hurdle as they lost out in the play-offs to Latvia after having finished second in their qualification round group to England. With six wins, a draw and one defeat, Turkey ended one point behind the undefeated English with Slovakia a further nine points in arrears.
• England proved to be Turkey's nemesis in the qualifying round. Having defeated Slovakia, F.Y.R. Macedonia and Liechtenstein home and away, the Turkish lost away against England in their fourth match of the campaign despite holding their hosts goalless for 75 minutes. Darius Vassell finally broke the deadlock at Sunderland's Stadium of Light before David Beckham added a second from the penalty spot two minutes into stoppage time. The two sides met again in the final match of the qualification round in Istanbul, but Turkey could not penetrate the English defence and were forced to settle for second place as the game ended goalless.
• But a further unpleasant surprise lay in wait for Turkey as Latvia won the two-legged play-off. The Latvians took a one-goal lead into their second leg meeting following Maris Verpakovskis' 12th-minute goal in Riga, and though goals from Ilhan Mansiz (20) and Hakan Sükür (64) put Turkey in the driving seat at Istanbul's Inönü stadium, the visitors hit back through Jurijs Laizans (65) and Verpakovskis (76) to book their ticket to Portugal.
What is their best performance in the UEFA European Championship?
• Turkey first participated in a UEFA European Championship final round at EURO '96™, losing all three of their group matches, but they returned four years later and advanced as far as the quarter-finals, their best effort to date in the competition.
• Finishing second in their qualifying group, Turkey defeated the Republic of Ireland on away goals in their subsequent play-off to book their place at UEFA EURO 2000™. Drawn in a group featuring Belgium, Italy and Sweden, Turkey took four points from their three games, defeating the tournament hosts 2-0 in their final game with two goals from Hakan Sükür (45, 70). Their reward was a quarter-final berth, but Turkey were defeated 2-0 by Portugal.
Key facts
• Despite playing in all 13 UEFA European Championship qualifying rounds, Turkey's first participation in a final tournament took place at UEFA EURO '96™.
All-time record
• Turkey have appeared in all 13 UEFA European Championship qualifying competitions. Prior to the finals of UEFA EURO 2008™, they have played 95 matches. In that time, they had won 35, drawn 22 and lost 38 of those fixtures with 110 goals scored and 135 conceded
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