Defender Philipp Lahm’s late strike put Germany in Sunday’s Euro 2008 final and sealed a 3-2 win to knock out injury-ravaged Turkey on Wednesday.
Germany joined the Euro 2008 thrill-seekers on Thursday, beating flamboyant Portugal in a five-goal classic.
They are the men who will reap the plaudits and milk the applause — the goal poachers who can grab glory for their nation in an instant. And they will deserve the adulation if they can rise above the increasingly defensive fare of the modern international game and the fear of losing, which hung heavy over the finals of both Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup.
The Netherlands staged a remarkable comeback to win 4-3 in Austria while European champions Greece beat Portugal 2-1 as all 16 Euro 2008 finalists contested friendlies on Wednesday. England midfielder David Beckham will not have happy memories of his 100th international appearance after Fabio Capello’s side suffered a 1-0 defeat to France in Paris.
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/ 9 September 2007
Italy drew 0-0 with France in their World Cup final repeat, Germany and England notched easy wins and 10-man Spain were frustrated by a 1-1 draw in Iceland in Saturday’s Euro 2008 qualifiers. The battle to reach the finals in Austria and Switzerland also saw The Netherlands beat Bulgaria 2-0, while the day’s other upset left Turkey with only a 2-2 draw in Malta.