FanHouse Euro 2008

You always have to look out for the players with the first names on their jerseys. Turkey's number 8, Nihat Kahveci, is one of them. The Turkish captain powered his side to victory today with two late goals, eliminating the Czech Republic and advancing to the quarterfinals in the process. The Czech side thought they had things all wrapped up in the 61st minute when Jan Koller made the score a daunting 2-0, but Turkey had other plans. Beginning with Arda Turan's 75th minute goal, they scored three times in the final fifteen minutes, including Nihat's stunner in the 87st past keeper Petr Cech. An absolutely stunning finish that is easily the most intense finish in this tournament that has seen its share of last-minute surprises.

In other Group A action, Portugal, already locked into the next round, rested up against host nation Switzerland. The Swiss grabbed a 2-0 victory, saving some face against a side that was without top players Cristiano Ronaldo, Deco, or Ricardho Carvalho. Portugal will face the winner of tomorrow's Germany/Austria match on Thursday while Turkey moves on to face a tough Croatia team on Friday.

For fans of a team that won a Euro 2008 qualifer by a score of 3-0 today, British soccer fans aren't the happiest people in the world right now. The 3-0 win over sad-sack Andorra was anything but a thing of beauty, and the England fans who traveled to the game spent the entire afternoon making their dislike of Steve McClaren very well-known.

They chanted for David Beckham (who has suddenly become a hero, after the same fans couldn't wait to get him off the pitch in favor of Owen Hargreaves last summer), they booed, they jeered, they chanted, "You'll be sacked in the morning."

That's probably not true. I wouldn't rule out some crazy fan getting drunk and biting his ear off, however.

The win over Andorra was, in fact, spectacularly ugly, and who knows what would have happened if Steven Gerrard hadn't stepped up and saved in England in the second half. In McCarlen's defense, though, Andorra did everything they could to make the game ugly ... holding, grabbing, diving. Their only chance in the game was to ugly it up, and even then, their chances weren't that great.

Seeing your national soccer team get crushed at the hands of your most bitter rivals, and then having your ear bitten off ... that's just no way to spend a weekend. But that's what happened to Grecian businessman Dimitris Tsimbibakis after Greece was hammered 4-1 by Turkey in a Euro 2008 qualifier. Poor guy. He'll never be able to fully appreciate Yanni again.

Some Bulgarian cats were hanging out on the Greek island of Crete, and were apparently taunting Greek fans as Turkey piled on the goals. The Greeks and Bulgarians rumbled, and Dimitris Tsimbibakis claims he tried to intervene and break things up ... when one of the Bulgarian brutes sunk his teeth into his ear.

I don't know what happened to the guy's ear, how much of it ended in a Bulgarian mouth, or if doctors were able to reattach it. But I assume that the guy will be fine when they get some Ouzo and baklava in him.

Greece fared a little better today in Euro qualifying action, beating Malta 1-0, while Turkey tied Norway 2-2. Bulgaria, in an act of karma, tied lowly Albania 0-0, and don't look very likely to make the finals. But at least they have their ears.