EURO 2008 - Turkey and Russia worthy of top billing - by Andrew Warshaw
While the semi-final line-up tomorrow and Thursday might not exactly set the pulses racing or fill the coffers of either the joint hosts or Uefa, especially now that an estimated 120,000 Dutch fans have left town, no-one can say that the four teams involved don't deserve to be there – and that includes 66-1 outsiders Turkey. With his trademark unbuttoned white crisp shirt and Mediterranean tan, Terim's emphasis on team play has paid off big-time. He has developed a squad with the mental resilience of a club side, a player's coach who treats them as soldiers going into battle. Whatever happens in Basel tomorrow night, his cult status can only be enhanced.
Five times Hiddink has taken teams to major tournaments, and five times he has successfully steered them out of the group stages. Russia may have started badly against Spain but the way they responded had the purists purring with delight. Hiddink may have already exceeded expectations but there is a train of thought that suggests Russia are the growing force in European football following Zenit St Petersburg's Uefa Cup win over Rangers. But good enough to beat Spain? No one , least of all themselves, expect Luis Aragones' team to have anywhere near as comfortable a ride as they did in the group phase when Russia were raw and nervous. But having broken their jinx against Italy in the quarters, the great under-achievers of European football believe their time has come.
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