Six months ago, if anyone had suggested that Semih Şentürk, Kazım Kazım or Uğur Boral would start for Turkey in a UEFA EURO 2008™ semi-final against Germany, the identity of the trio would have been considered even more unlikely than Fatih Terim's squad getting to Wednesday's showdown in Basel at all.
Record run
Of the trio, only striker Semih even took part in qualifying and he and the two wingers had amassed just ten caps between them when the year began. Yet Terim named the three in his finals squad ahead of the likes of record cap-holder Hakan Şükür, and that they are being given such a responsibility has more than a little to do with Fenerbahçe SK's own European heroics this season. They had never previously progressed past the UEFA Champions League group stage but FC Internazionale Milano, PSV Eindhoven, PFC CSKA Moskva and Sevilla FC were all defeated before Fenerbahçe fell to Chelsea FC – and even then the eventual runners-up were beaten 2-1 in Istanbul as Fenerbahçe equalled Galatasaray AS's 2000/01 quarter-final run, propelling some new names into Terim's thoughts.
Uğur return
Uğur had won seven caps in 2006 after showing promise at Gençlerbirligi SK, but following his move to Fenerbahçe that summer he endured a difficult campaign. That all changed this term when he was given a UEFA Champions League debut against CSKA in December, and in a brilliant performance scored twice in a 3-2 win, ensuring himself a regular starting position and, by February, a Turkey recall. Semih, meanwhile, had already netted against PSV in November having received his long-awaited chance in Mateja Kežman's absence. But even when the Serbian striker returned, Semih began to score regularly as a substitute, most crucially striking the late winner in a 3-2 success against Sevilla. He has carried that habit into the EURO – having registered just once for Turkey beforehand, he has added two more with the equalisers against Switzerland and Croatia.
Swift rise
As for Kazım Kazım, little over a year ago he had just been relegated from the Premier League with Sheffield United FC under his English name Colin Kazim-Richards. Yet a memorable summer brought a surprise transfer to Fenerbahçe and a Turkey debut against Brazil. It was when he came off the bench to equalise in the 2-1 win against Chelsea in April, however, that the 21-year-old truly gained an international profile, becoming a regular starter. Terim soon recalled him and has used him in all four finals games.
Hunger
The coach has no qualms about such inexperienced players taking on such burdens against Germany. "Before coming here, I was asked if experience was important or hunger for success and I said hunger was important," he said. "They are young but hungry and this is what the team is benefiting from. I have been using Kazım since the beginning of the tournament and he is of a nature where he can control his excitement, and tomorrow we can make use of those players. They are young but I do not consider it a disadvantage as the dynamism you get from them is just as important and can benefit the team."
Record runOf the trio, only striker Semih even took part in qualifying and he and the two wingers had amassed just ten caps between them when the year began. Yet Terim named the three in his finals squad ahead of the likes of record cap-holder Hakan Şükür, and that they are being given such a responsibility has more than a little to do with Fenerbahçe SK's own European heroics this season. They had never previously progressed past the UEFA Champions League group stage but FC Internazionale Milano, PSV Eindhoven, PFC CSKA Moskva and Sevilla FC were all defeated before Fenerbahçe fell to Chelsea FC – and even then the eventual runners-up were beaten 2-1 in Istanbul as Fenerbahçe equalled Galatasaray AS's 2000/01 quarter-final run, propelling some new names into Terim's thoughts.
Uğur return
Uğur had won seven caps in 2006 after showing promise at Gençlerbirligi SK, but following his move to Fenerbahçe that summer he endured a difficult campaign. That all changed this term when he was given a UEFA Champions League debut against CSKA in December, and in a brilliant performance scored twice in a 3-2 win, ensuring himself a regular starting position and, by February, a Turkey recall. Semih, meanwhile, had already netted against PSV in November having received his long-awaited chance in Mateja Kežman's absence. But even when the Serbian striker returned, Semih began to score regularly as a substitute, most crucially striking the late winner in a 3-2 success against Sevilla. He has carried that habit into the EURO – having registered just once for Turkey beforehand, he has added two more with the equalisers against Switzerland and Croatia.
Swift rise
As for Kazım Kazım, little over a year ago he had just been relegated from the Premier League with Sheffield United FC under his English name Colin Kazim-Richards. Yet a memorable summer brought a surprise transfer to Fenerbahçe and a Turkey debut against Brazil. It was when he came off the bench to equalise in the 2-1 win against Chelsea in April, however, that the 21-year-old truly gained an international profile, becoming a regular starter. Terim soon recalled him and has used him in all four finals games.
Hunger
The coach has no qualms about such inexperienced players taking on such burdens against Germany. "Before coming here, I was asked if experience was important or hunger for success and I said hunger was important," he said. "They are young but hungry and this is what the team is benefiting from. I have been using Kazım since the beginning of the tournament and he is of a nature where he can control his excitement, and tomorrow we can make use of those players. They are young but I do not consider it a disadvantage as the dynamism you get from them is just as important and can benefit the team."
