England survive battle of Istanbul to clinch Euro 2004 spot

October 11-2003 - England's under-fire footballers redeemed themselves in the eyes of the nation after battling to a goalless draw with Turkey that books their place in next summer's Euro 2004 finals.

Sven-Goran Eriksson's side survived the shock of seeing captain David Beckham blast a first half penalty over the bar and an ugly fracas in the tunnel at half-time to clinch the point they needed to ensure they topped Group 7.

It was a close-run thing at times during a tense second-half but England were well worth at least a point after producing a spirited performance that was the perfect response to the questions raised over their commitment to the national cause in the build-up to the match.

Pilloried as pampered millionaires after threatening to boycott the match in protest at Rio Ferdinand's exclusion from the squad for missing a drugs test, the players knew they had a point to prove and their relief at the end of the match was palpable.

Huddled together in the centre circle, they performed a victory jig as 50,000 Turkish fans trooped miserably from the stadium.

"I think the performance showed our character much more than a 1-0 win would have done, especially in this atmosphere where we had no fans," Beckham said.

England coach Sven Goran Erikkson, who again insisted that he was not planning to quit the national job to return to club management, also praised the players' character after a trying week.

"They showed exactly what we hoped," he said. "They played like a team with a lot of experience, they were very calm. I'm very proud."

The Swede said that despite only needing a point the England players had come to Istanbul seeking outright victory.

"I really don't care about not winning," said Eriksson. "We tried to win but it's the result that counts. But I thought we were a little unlucky especially in the first half where we could have had a couple of goals."

The England players had promised to play their hearts out and from the outset there was not the slightest hint of them being fazed by the hostile atmosphere in Fenerbahce's Sukru Saracoglu stadium.

If anything it was a strangely tentative Turkish side who appeared more intimidated by the fervour of their own fans as England carved out a string of clear first half chances.

The first fell to Paul Scholes, who ghosted between Alpay and his defensive partner Bulent to meet Gary Neville's cross but was unable to keep his header down.

It was not until 18 minutes into the match that Turkey threatened the England goal. Nihat Kahveci's volley on the turn was sweetly executed but lacked the venom or direction to test David James.

England should have gone ahead two minutes later when Beckham's angled through ball sent Wayne Rooney clear of the Turkish back four only for the Everton striker to overhit his attempt to lob Rustu Recber.

A second chance for Rooney went begging in the 33rd minute when the Everton striker miscued his shot after combining neatly with Beckham on the edge of the area.

Turkey were allowing England's midfielders the space to run at their back four and they were made to pay when Steven Gerrard was allowed to cut in from the touchline and skip round Fatih before being brought down by Blackburn midfielder Tugay.

Beckham confidently grabbed the ball to take the penalty but his left foot slipped at the critical moment and the ball went wildly over the crossbar.

As Beckham lay disonsolately on the ground, Alpay was lucky to escape a booking after sprinting up to the England captain and screaming abuse in his face -- a clash that was to prove a taster of what was to happen at half-time.

Surprisingly England were not knocked off their stride. Three minutes later Rooney presented Scholes with the kind of chance he devours regularly for Manchester United but the midfielder's left foot shot from just inside the area was scuffed wide of Rustu's upright.

Turkey enjoyed their best period of pressure in the closing minutes of the first half with James doing well to save a header from Sergen Yalcin and then tip over Nihat's fierce cross-cum-shot in quick succession.

As Beckham left the pitch at half-time, Alpay poked him in the face and Beckham threw a lame punch that failed to connect, but the incident sparked a melee in the tunnel which is bound to be investigated by UEFA.

Beckham later revealed the brawl was sparked by a remark Alpay made about his mother.

"The referee took us into his room and told us to shake hands and calm down because the game is much bigger than this. It was a sad thing to happen but these things happen in football."

As the second half wore on, Turkey began to show signs of desperation and their lack of headway prompted Senol Gunes to pull off his playmaker Sergen Yalcin in favour of the fresh legs of Tuncay Sanli.

The switch almost paid immediate dividend as Nihat found space in the box only to be frustrated by a superb close range block by James.

Gary Neville then blocked Emre's attempted follow-up and after a frantic scramble England cleared the danger.

Respite was brief however.

Two minutes later Hakan Sukur's goalbound corner was deflected narrowly wide of James's upright.

England were living increasingly dangerously but Turkey were beginning to look equally vulnerable as they pushed forward in numbers.

As the final quarter of an hour loomed, substitute Darius Vassell sent a low shot skidding just wide and Beckham finally found the back of the net only to have his header ruled out for offside.

Four minutes of stoppage time added to England's agony and gave Turkey one last chance but Tuncay was unable to hit the target from 25 yards.

Source: WorldSoccerNews.com

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