Euro 2008 Qualifying Group C Table

Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	PTS
Greece	12	10	1	1	25	10	31
Turkey	12	7	3	2	25	11	24
Norway	12	7	2	3	27	11	23
Bosnia	12	4	1	7	16	22	13
Moldova	12	3	3	6	12	19	12
Hungary	12	4	0	8	11	22	12
Malta	12	1	2	9	10	31	5

Euro 2008 Qualifying Group C Fixtures

02/09/06	Moldova	0 v 1	Greece
			Liberopoulos 77
02/09/06	Malta	2 v 5	Bosnia
	Pace 6, Mifsud 85		Barbarez 4, Hrgovic 10, 46, Muslimovic 48, 50
02/09/06	Hungary	1 v 4	Norway
	Gera 90 (pen)		Solskjaer 15, 54, Stromstad 32, Pedersen 41
06/09/06	Turkey	2 v 0	Malta
	Nihat 56, Metin 77
06/09/06	Norway	2 v 0	Moldova
	Stromstad 73, Iversen 79
06/09/06	Bosnia	1 v 3	Hungary
	Misimovic (pen) 64,		Huszti (pen) 36, Gera 46, Dardai 49
07/10/06	Hungary	0 v 1	Turkey
			Sanli 41
07/10/06	Greece	1 v 0	Norway
	Katsouranis 33
07/10/06	Moldova	2 v 2	Bosnia
	Rogaciov 13, 32 (pen)		Misimovic 62, Grlic 68
11/10/06	Turkey	5 v 0	Moldova
	Sukur 35, 37 (pen), 43, 73, Sanli 68
11/10/06	Malta	2 v 1	Hungary
	Schembri 14, 53		Torghelle 19
11/10/06	Bosnia	0 v 4	Greece
			Charisteas 8 (pen), Patsatzoglou 82, Samaras 85, Katsouranis 90+
24/03/07	Greece	1 v 4	Turkey
	Kyrgiakos 5		Sanli 27, Unal 55, Metin 70, Karadeniz 81
24/03/07	Moldova	1 v 1	Malta
	Epureanu 85		Mallia 73
24/03/07	Norway	1 v 2	Bosnia
	Carew 50 (pen)		Misimovic 18, Muslimovic 33
28/03/07	Turkey	2 v 2	Norway
	Altintop 72, 90		Brenne 31, Andresen 40
28/03/07	Malta	0 v 1	Greece
			Basinas 66 (pen)
28/03/07	Hungary	2 v 0	Moldova
	Epureanu (o.g) 9, Gera 63
02/06/07	Bosnia	3 v 2	Turkey
	Muslimovic 27, Dzeko 47, Custovic 90		Sukur 13, Sarioglu 39
02/06/07	Norway	4 v 0	Malta
	Haestad 31, Helstad 73, Iversen 79, Riise 91
02/06/07	Greece	2 v 0	Hungary
	Gekas 16, Seitaridis 29
06/06/07	Bosnia	1 v 0	Malta
	Muslimovic 6
06/06/07	Greece	2 v 1	Moldova
	Charisteas 30, Liberopolous 90+		Frunza 80
06/06/07	Norway	4 v 0	Hungary
	Iversen 22, Braaten 57, Carew 60,78
08/09/07	Malta	2 v 2	Turkey
	Said 41, Schembri 76		Altintop 45, Cetin 78
08/09/07	Moldova	0 v 1	Norway
			Iversen 49
08/09/07	Hungary	1 v 0	Bosnia
	Gera 39 (pen)
12/09/07	Norway	2 v 2	Greece
	Carew 15, Riise 39		Kyrgiakos 7, 30
12/09/07	Turkey	3 v 0	Hungary
	Unal 68, Aurelio 73, Altintop 90+
12/09/07	Bosnia	0 v 1	Moldova
			Bugaev 22
13/10/07	Moldova	1 v 1	Turkey
	Frunza 11		Karan 63
13/10/07	Hungary	2 v 0	Malta
	Feczesin 34, Tozser 78
13/10/07	Greece	3 v 2	Bosnia
	Charisteas 10, Gekas 58, Liberopoulos 73		Hrgovic 54, Ibisevic 90+
17/10/07	Turkey	0 v 1	Greece
			Amanatidis 79
17/10/07	Bosnia	0 v 2	Norway
			Hagen 5, Riise 74
17/10/07	Malta	2 v 3	Moldova
	Scerri 71, Mifsud 84 (pen)		Bugaev 24 (pen), Frunza 31, 35
17/11/07	Norway	1 v 2	Turkey
	Hagen 12		Emre 31, Nihat 59
17/11/07	Greece	5 v 0	Malta
	Gekas 32, 72, 74, Basinas 54, Amanatidis 61
17/11/07	Moldova	3 v 0	Hungary
	Bugaev 13, Josan 23, Alexeev 86
21/11/07	Turkey	1 v 0	Bosnia
	Nihat 43
21/11/07	Malta	1 v 4	Norway
	Mifsud 53		Iversen 25, 28 (pen), 45, Pedersen 75
21/11/07	Hungary	1 v 2	Greece
	Buzsaky 7		Vanczak 22 (o.g), Basinas 59 (pen)

Last edited by berni23 on Thu Nov 22, 2007 2:16 pm; edited 10 times in total

EURO 2008: GROUP C

Norway recorded a second 4-0 home win in five days as two goals from John Carew helped defeat Hungary and keep Åge Hareide's side in touch with the leaders in UEFA EURO 2008™ Group C.

Confidence high
Norway ended a three-game winless run with victory against Malta on Saturday and, with confidence high, they produced another fine display at the Ullevål Stadium in Oslo. Steffen Iversen opened the scoring midway through the first half, substitute Daniel Braaten added a second early in the second period and Carew made the points safe in the last half-hour, registering twice to complete an emphatic success.

Iversen opportunism
Norway scored three times in the final 18 minutes against Malta and picked up where they had left off, Erik Hagen threatening with a seventh-minute header though Zoltán Gera then forced Norway's Håkon Opdal to parry his drive from just inside the penalty area. The breakthrough arrived at the other end in the 22nd minute, however, Iversen nodding in from close range after Hungary had failed to clear a Martin Andresen corner.

Clinching strike
Hareide made two changes at half-time, replacing Iversen with Braaten, although Hungary were subsequently quicker out of the blocks, Dániel Tőzsér flashing a shot wide before Opdal turned away a fierce Tamás Hajnal drive. Norway's response was ruthless as 1-0 became 3-0 within four minutes. Braaten drilled in the second on 57 minutes after goalkeeper Zoltán Vegh had committed himself to fending off Carew, before the Aston Villa FC totem got on the scoresheet himself on the hour, latching on to Andresen's precise pass to slot in.

September fixtures
Carew rounded off a fine night for the hosts with the fourth and concluding goal 12 minutes from time, picking up possession from John Arne Riise to sweep past Vegh from five metres for his third goal of the qualifying campaign. Norway are next in action on 8 September when they visit Moldova while Hungary, who have six points from seven outings, welcome Bosnia-Herzegovina the same night.


IN THE OTHER GROUP MATCHES:

Bosnia 1 - 0 Malta
Greece 2 - 1 Moldova

Hungary 1-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina

Bosnia-Herzegovina's hopes of qualifying for UEFA EURO 2008™ took a severe blow in Szekesfehervar as Zoltán Gera's first-half penalty helped Hungary to another victory against their Group C rivals.

Under threat
The West Bromwich Albion FC forward was among the scorers almost a year ago to the day when Hungary triumphed 3-1 in Zenica, and Gera found the net again in the 39th minute today – drilling his spot-kick high into the top-left corner after Róbert Feczesin had been felled by Ivan Radeljić. The win moved fifth-placed Hungary on to nine points from eight games, while Bosnia-Herzegovina dropped from second to fourth after both Turkey and Norway picked up points in later games.

Impressive Fülöp
Gera was not the only hero for Hungary: goalkeeper Márton Fülöp giving an early indication of his fine form when turning behind a Zlatan Muslimović effort. Radeljić was shown a yellow card for his part in the penalty award, although Gera's fierce strike was a more effective punishment. Fülöp was then to the fore again, tipping a close-range Muslimović header over the bar and following that up by collecting confidently from the resulting corner.

Muslimović foiled
Hungary went into the interval a goal to the good after Fülöp foiled Muslimović once more, although the hosts were the first to threaten in the second half as visiting keeper Adnan Gušo kept out Feczesin's strike from the edge of the box. Neither No1 was forced into anything other than a routine stop after that, however, as Hungary comfortably held on to record their third victory of the campaign.

Malta 2-2 Turkey

Servet Çetin rescued a point for Turkey in Malta after the islanders had threatened to mark the Victory Day public holiday with a famous UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying win.

'Winning mentality'
Malta have shown signs of improvement under Dušan Fitzel and the Czech coach had called on his players to adopt "a winning mentality" against their more illustrious visitors. Fitzel would have been delighted with the response as Brian Said (41) and Andre Schembri (76) twice put the home team in front, only for Turkey to quickly draw level on each occasion through Halil Altıntop (45) and Servet Çetin (78). Still, it was two points dropped for Fatih Terim's men who are now four points behind leaders Greece after seven Group C outings.

Early action
An exciting game appeared in prospect right from the off in Ta' Qali, as Tuncay Sanli and Michael Mifsud traded early shots off target, although it was Said who truly ignited proceedings: the defender shooting past Hakan Arıkan following Roderick Briffa's corner. Turkey hit back almost immediately, İbrahim Üzülmez crossing from the right for Halil Altıntop to score with a powerful drive.

Stubborn rearguard
After the interval, Turkey began to dominate possession but were unable to find a way past a stubborn Maltese rearguard. Against the run of play, Malta retook the lead with 14 minutes remaining. Mifsud crossed from the left and Schembri drilled a low effort into the corner to send the home fans into raptures. Yet once again their joy was short-lived: Servet Çetin heading in Hamit Altıntop's cross with aplomb. Mifsud could have snatched a late victory for the hosts, but his fine form with Coventry City FC in England deserted the diminutive front man as he shot wide.

Moldova 0-1 Norway

Steffen Iversen struck four minutes into the second half as Norway secured a victory against Moldova in Chisinau which boosted their bid to qualify for UEFA EURO 2008™.

Greece on top
The win pushed the Scandinavians into second place in Group C, two points behind European champions Greece, as they leapfrogged Bosnia-Herzegovina – beaten in Hungary – and Turkey who drew in Malta but have a game in hand. The top two meet in Oslo on Wednesday, when the Bosnians and Turkish are at home to Moldova and Hungary respectively.

Carew chances
After a sedate opening, a header from John Carew, saved by Moldova goalkeeper Serghei Pascenco, signalled the visitors' intent. Two other England-based Norwegians, Morten Gamst Pedersen and John Arne Riise, then went close before Carew of Aston Villa FC twice spurned chances to give Norway a half-time advantage.

Iversen goal
Åge Hareide's side went ahead early in the second half, however, when Martin Andresen crossed from the right wing for Iversen who found the top corner with a header from five metres. Norway lost Kjetil Wæhler to injury on 66 minutes, and Moldova's Ghenadie Olexic was also forced off in the 78th. Three minutes later Serghei Lascencov was denied from the edge of the area by Norway goalkeeper Håkon Opdal to leave Moldova bottom of the group with just two points to show from eight games.

Norway 2-2 Greece

Two goals by Sotirios Kyrgiakos helped Greece's prospects of defending their European title in Austria and Switzerland, with a hard-earned away draw against in-form Norway.

Kyrgiakos double
Otto Rehhagel's side seem to be rekindling in qualifying the form that made them surprise winners at UEFA EURO 2004™ – the kind of form that eluded them when they missed out on last summer's FIFA World Cup. Twice the Group C leaders went ahead in the Norwegian capital through Kyrgiakos but Norway equalised on each occasion, through John Carew and a magnificent strike from John Arne Riise. The draw kept Greece top of a pool in which Turkey, Norway and Bosnia-Herzegovina remain in contention for the two qualification spots.

Carew equaliser
The visitors started well, requiring only seven minutes to take the initiative. A corner by Georgios Karagounis was flicked on and Kyrgiakos was there to head in the opener. Norway immediately hit back and goalkeeper Konstantinos Chalkias did well to tip a Morten Gamst Pedersen shot behind for a corner. But on the quarter-hour mark Carew restored parity, rising to nod in a Riise cross.

Riise strike
On the half-hour Kyrgiakos made it 2-1 for Greece when he netted from close range after goalkeeper Håkon Opdal had kept out his initial header from a Karagounis delivery. Norway again pulled level though: Riise scoring superbly after collecting a Jan Gunnar Solli pass. At the other end, Nikolaos Liberopoulos hit the bar early in the second half while Karagounis also went close.

End to end
Åge Hareide's men had several further chances, most notably when Pedersen shot wide, and they could have won the match late on – Riise forced another save from Chalkias before Martin Andresen's goalbound effort was deflected to safety. Even so, Greece themselves almost stole the points at the death as Liberopoulous again struck the woodwork. An exciting match ended all square.

Turkey 3-0 Hungary

Two goals in four second-half minutes proved the difference as Turkey defeated ten-man Hungary to revive their hopes of qualifying for UEFA EURO 2008™.

Late flurry
After being frustrated by Hungary for more than three-quarters of the game in Istanbul, Turkey made the most of Zoltán Gera's dismissal to score through Gökhan Ünal and Mehmet Aurelio before Halil Altıntop sealed the win with a late third. The three points earned put Turkey level with Norway in second place in Group C.

Even contest
Fatih Terim's men were looking to improve on form that had yielded no victories from three preceding qualifiers, including a draw in Malta on Saturday. They began a fast-paced game well and went close to scoring through Gökdeniz Karadeniz and Tuncay Sanli in the first half. Hungary had their chances too, but Tamás Priskin was narrowly off target both times they threatened Hakan Arıkan's goal.

Key decision
The turning point occurred on 63 minutes when Gera, who had been Hungary's hero four days before with the winning goal against Bosnia-Herzegovina, picked up his second yellow card for simulation. Turkey took advantage five minutes later as Emre found Gökdeniz, who chipped to the far post for Gökhan to rise unchallenged and head in. Within four minutes they doubled their lead, this time Aurelio sweeping the ball in after a long-range shot by Emre had been blocked.

Icing the cake
There was still time for Halil Altıntop to score a third deep into added time, with a stunning strike that flew past substitute goalkeeper János Balogh – a replacement for the injured Márton Fülöp. The result leaves Turkey two points behind group leaders Greece with four matches remaining, and with a game in hand on level-pegging Norway.


Bosnia-Herzegovina 0-1 Moldova

Bosnia-Herzegovina's hopes of qualifying for their first major finals suffered a major setback with a home defeat by Moldova.

Bugaev winner
Igor Bugaev scored the only goal of the game midway through the first half and his team held on for their first UEFA European Championship away win since their very first match in the competition, in Georgia in September 1994. Bosnia-Herzegovina, already reeling from a 1-0 loss in Hungary on Saturday, are now four points adrift of second place in Group C with only three games left.

First-half goal
Moldova had the first chance after nine minutes but Bugaev's shot lacked the power to beat home goalkeeper Adnan Gušo. On 22 minutes, however, the breakthrough came: Bugaev turning in Alexandru Gatcan's pass from the right. That did not stop Moldova attacking and Gušo was forced to save an Alexandru Epureanu free-kick from distance, before defender Safet Nadarević got in the way of an Anatolie Doros effort. The home side finally registered an attempt on goal four minutes before the break, Dragan Blatnjak's shot prompting a fine save from Moldova keeper Nicolai Calancea. Gatcan almost made it 2-0 before half-time, while at the other end, Calancea frustrated Džemal Berberović.

Home side denied
Though Bosnia-Herzegovina pressed forward from the start of the second half, they were nearly caught out when Victor Comlenoc led a counterattack and hit the post. Now the hosts increased their efforts, with Zlatan Muslimović firing over and Edin Džeko going agonisingly close. Moldova's Calancea kept out a Džeko header and deep in injury time Berberović rattled the woodwork before being denied by the goalkeeper. Moldova remain bottom but will hope to put that right against Turkey or Malta in October, when Bosnia-Herzegovina face fellow contenders Greece and Norway.

UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying Group C

Greece 3-2 Bosnia-Herzegovina

Reigning European champions Greece kept their nerve to defeat Bosnia-Herzegovina and extend their lead in UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying Group C to four points.

Ten men beaten
Angelos Charisteas's early goal was cancelled out after the break by Mirko Hrgović but he was sent off soon afterwards and Theofanis Gekas and Nikolaos Liberopoulos earned Greece a cushion they needed for the points, given Vedad Ibišević's late strike. Greece sit four points clear of Turkey, held in Moldova today, and five above Norway. Victory in Istanbul on Wednesday would secure the holders' place next June in Austria and Switzerland.

Greece ahead
Greece returned to Athens after two games in Crete and were soon ahead when Charisteas rose to head Christos Patsatzoglou's cross against the bar and then prodded in the rebound. The lead was safe until half-time despite two long-range efforts from Zlatan Muslimović which Antonios Nikopolidis was able to deal with.

Short-lived joy
Yet the goalkeeper was beaten nine minutes into the second half as Hrgović's left-footed free-kick curled into the top corner. His joy was short-lived, however, as he received a straight red card two minutes later for a foul on Angelos Basinas. Greece swiftly made the extra man count when Gekas beat the offside trap and calmly shot in.

Liberopoulos clincher
Liberopoulos, a second-half substitute for Charisteas, then added a third goal to seemingly wrap up the contest with 17 minutes left, smashing the ball into the roof of the net after Gekas's shot had cannoned back off an upright. Ibišević ensured a nervy last few moments though by reducing the deficit in the second minute of stoppage time with a neat finish from a loose ball. But Greece held on to claim the victory which all but ended their visitors' hopes.


Moldova 1-1 Turkey

Moldova dealt Turkey's UEFA EURO 2008™ hopes a major blow as they held Fatih Terim's team to a 1-1 draw in Chisinau, the visitors needing a second-half equaliser to salvage even a point.

Goalkeeping heroics
The home side began the game with their aspirations of finishing in the top two in Group C all but over, yet this did not stop them giving a performance of real passion. Viorel Frunza secured a shock lead in the eleventh minute when he directed a glancing header past Hakan Arıkan, although from then onwards it was his opposite number, Nicolai Calancea, who took centre stage. The Moldova No1 made a string of stunning saves and if substitute Ümit Karan beat him just after the hour, he held firm to earn a point and dent Turkey's chances.

Shock start
Terim's team had started the day third in the section, level with second-placed Norway on 17 points and with a game in hand. They enjoyed much of the early running at the Zimbru Stadium. Mehmet Topuz blazed a free-kick over and Selcuk Inan tried his luck from range, only for Moldova to break the shackles in style when Frunza headed in Nicolae Josan's cross. The hosts were soon back on the defensive, with Calancea being called upon to keep out Gökhan Zan's header – it was not the last time the keeper would be needed.

Turkey miss
He did superbly just before the break, when Frunza could only nod Selcuk Inan's set-piece into the path of Gökhan Ünal, who met the ball with a volley that Calancea somehow saved with his legs. He could do nothing about the equaliser on 63 minutes, however, as Topuz's pinpoint centre was converted by Ümit Karan with a diving header. Turkey went all out for a winner yet Emre Belözoglu had a free-kick tipped over before Gökhan Zan guided a header wide with the goal at his mercy. It summed up the visitors' night.


Hungary 2-0 Malta

Goals in each half from Róbert Feczesin and Dániel Tőzsér earned Hungary a 2-0 victory against Malta in UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying Group C.

Revenge
Feczesin opened the scoring eleven minutes before half-time with a close-range header before Tőzsér doubled the advantage on 76 minutes with an exquisite 25-metre free-kick to ensure Hungary avenged last October's 2-1 defeat in Malta.

Gera chance
Hungary pressed the visitors back in the first 45 minutes and unsettled them from set-plays. Tamás Vasko teed up Zoltán Gera whose overhead kick from 15 metres bounced before brushing the post. Balázs Dzsudzsák's inswinging free-kick from the left then found Gera, but the captain was unable to divert it goalwards.

Feczesin opener
Peter Várhidi's men eventually went ahead on 34 minutes from another corner, this time from the right. The Malta defence failed to clear and the ball fell for Dzsudzsák who crossed for Feczesin to touch it beyond Justin Haber in Malta's goal. Hungary continued to dominate after the restart. Attila Filkor collected possession on the right of the area 90 seconds into the second half, but hesitated when one-on-one with Haber and the goalkeeper smothered the ball. Gera's curling shot was saved soon after.

Tőzsér strike
Hungarian persistence finally paid off when they made the game safe with 13 minutes remaining: Tőzsér's left-foot free-kick flying in off the right-hand post. Malta had opportunities themselves from set-pieces but their delivery lacked the accuracy of their opponents' and Hungary goalkeeper Márton Fülöp was left without a meaningful save to make. The win leaves Hungary fifth in the section on 12 points from ten matches, with Malta on five. Hungary next travel to Moldova on 17 November; Malta host Moldova on Wednesday.

UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying Group C

Turkey 0-1 Greece

European champions Greece will continue the defence of their title at UEFA EURO 2008™ after qualifying from Group C with victory against rivals Turkey.

Revenge mission
Ioannis Amanatidis scored the only goal in the 79th minute as Otto Rehhagel's side overcame a hostile atmosphere in Istanbul to avenge their 4-1 home defeat by Turkey earlier in the campaign.

Trade of attacks
Greece dominated the early exchanges, twice coming close to the breakthrough when Amanatidis and Theofanis Gekas had good efforts saved by Turkey goalkeeper Volkan Demirel. Fatih Terim's team then began to come into the game with Hamit Altıntop involved in their best work. The flying full-back saw one stinging shot blocked and another fly just off target. Gökdeniz Karadeniz also came close, being denied by a fine stop from Greece keeper Konstantinos Chalkias. Even so, the visitors should have gone ahead on the stroke of half-time when Amanatidis's strike was deflected to safety and Gekas headed wide the resulting corner.

Greece press
The contest continued in the same open and entertaining fashion after the break. Greece midfielder Georgios Karagounis curled an effort just wide from distance on 50 minutes, and Turkey defender Servet Çetin nodded over at the other end. Karagounis had another attempt parried by Demirel while Greece substitute Georgios Samaras drove wide before the deadlock was finally broken.

Amanatidis winner
Samaras picked out the advancing Amanatidis and the forward kept his cool to clip the ball over Demirel and into the net. Turkey almost drew level with four minutes remaining, but substitute Arda Turan's angled shot hit the post. Greece qualify with two matches to spare, leaving Norway and Turkey to vie for second spot.

Goal by Amanatidis - Turkey vs. Greece
Uploaded by 90tsunni


Bosnia-Herzegovina 0-2 Norway

Norway moved into a UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying position with a hard-won victory in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Route to finals
Erik Hagen and Bjørn Riise scored the goals which took Norway up to second place in Group C, two points above Turkey who lost at home to Greece tonight. Norway can join the holders in next summer's finals if Åge Hareide's side win at home to Turkey on 17 November, or draw and pick up three points in Malta four days later.

Hagen header
Having sat out Saturday's fixtures when Turkey were held in Moldova, Norway knew their chances had been boosted and within five minutes they were ahead in Sarajevo. A free-kick from John Arne Riise found an unmarked Hagen in the area, and the defender headed in from eleven metres. Bosnia-Herzegovina, whose qualifying bid had been ended by Saturday's 3-2 defeat in Greece, nearly had a swift equaliser but Zvjezdan Misimović's free-kick was just over the bar.

Blatnjak close
Both teams were having trouble with the slippery surface but Dragan Blatnjak came close on 23 minutes when he shot narrowly wide. Norway too had their moments in attack and Morten Gamst Pedersen's cross eluded the onrushing Thorstein Helstad, while John Arne Riise fired over from distance.

Sucker punch
Bosnia-Herzegovina began the second half brightly and Misimović, Samir Merzić and Edin Džeko all troubled the Norway back line. However, against the run of play, the Scandinavians doubled the lead 16 minutes from time when Gamst Pedersen supplied the perfect cross for Bjorn Riise to nod past goalkeeper Adnan Gušo. Sejad Salihović and Džeko both shot wide as the hosts pressed to the end, but Norway had a victory which leaves them dreaming of a celebration in Oslo in one month's time.

Group C
Turkey took a massive step towards securing second place behind group winners Greece by beating Norway 2-1 in Oslo, a result that puts them a point clear of the Scandinavians and well placed to complete the job tonight when they entertain Bosnia-Herzegovina and Norway travel to Malta.

Turkey in Euro 2008

Turkey 1-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina

Turkey secured their place at UEFA EURO 2008™ after Nihat Kahveci's goal earned victory over stubborn Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Second place
Nihat struck at the end of a first half that Fatih Terim's team dominated, yet the hosts were unable to build on that lead and had to endure some tense moments. However, the win assured them of second place in Group C at Norway's expense.

Victory required
With Norway facing Malta in their final qualifier, and just a point separating the third-placed Scandinavians from Terim's men, Turkey needed to win to progress. Nihat, Arda Turan and Nihat again all forced early saves from goalkeeper Adnan Gušo, and with the exception of a wayward Branislav Krunić effort, the hosts dominated.

On target
Nihat, who was proving a constant thorn in the side of Fuad Muzurović's team, finally found a way through two minutes before half-time. Hamit Altıntop found space down the left and crossed for the Villarreal CF forward who finished from 12 metres.

Türkiye: 1 - 0 Bosnia

Resistance
A more positive Bosnia-Herzegovina began the second period. Edin Džeko drew a save from Rüştü Reçber and Turkish attempts to unsettle the visitors were now paying fewer dividends. Emre Belözoglu tried to ease nerves among the home supporters with a free-kick that flashed wide. Terim attempted the same thing by bringing on midfielder Gökdeniz Karadeniz for Nihat. The strategy worked as Turkey held out to pip Norway to second place behind Greece and a berth in Austria/Switzerland.

Malta 1 - 4 Norway

Steffen Iversen scored a first-half hat-trick as Norway crushed Malta – but it was not enough to propel Åge Hareide's side to UEFA EURO 2008™.

Iversen hat-trick
The Norwegians needed to win while hoping Bosnia-Herzegovina could break a losing streak against Turkey. In the event, Hareide's team comfortably kept their part of the bargain but Turkey did enough to finish second in Group C. Iversen broke the deadlock 25 minutes in, grabbed a second from the penalty spot three minutes later, then killed off the tie on the stroke of half-time. Michael Mifsud reduced the deficit after the break, though that was tempered by Andre Schembri's 67th-minute red card and Morten Gamst Pedersen's strike to make it 4-1.

Torrid opening
Iversen set the trend with a narrow miss one minute in and Jarl André Storbæk kept up the pressure with a 35-metre piledriver two minutes later. Attempts from Bjørn Riise and John Arne Riise followed as Norway put Malta through a torrid first ten minutes. And it was no surprise when Iversen headed the opener from Storbæk's right-wing cross. A second arrived soon afterwards when Jamie Pace brought John Carew down in the area, and Iversen netted from the spot.

Short-lived recovery
That sparked something of a resurgence from Malta, for whom Pace nearly amends when his 25-metre drive brought a fingertip save from Håkon Opdal. The fightback was short-lived, though, and truly quelled when Iversen smashed in his hat-trick goal from John Arne Riise's cross a minute before the interval. Mifsud pulled one back eight minutes after the restart with a low strike from the edge of the box. However, Schembri then saw red for a second bookable offence and Pedersen's header from Per Ciljan Skjelbred's centre 15 minutes from time ended the contest.


Hungary 1-2 Greece

Greece ended their successful UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying campaign on a winning note after coming from a goal down to grind out a victory against Hungary in Budapest.

Basinas winner
Otto Rehhagel's men were fortunate to go in at half-time on level terms having fallen behind to Ákos Buzsáky's early deflected opener in a lacklustre start. Home defender Vilmos Vanczák threw the visitors a lifeline midway through the opening half when he headed past his own goalkeeper before captain Angelos Basinas scored a penalty a minute before the hour to complete a determined comeback from the European Champions.

Early opener
In the first minute Tamás Priskin broke clear after a mistake by Greek full-back Christos Patsatzoglou, but the defender was saved by goalkeeper Konstantinos Chalkias's fine block. Six minutes later, though, and the hosts' early pressure yielded the lead when Buzsáky went on a mazy run before firing in a shot which deflected off Konstantinos Katsouranis and over Chalkias.

Hungary chances
Greece levelled after 22 minutes with their first real attack of the match when Katsouranis's right-wing cross was flicked across goal by Alexandros Tziolis and headed into his own net by Vanczák. The visitors, so convincing in their 5-0 demolition of Malta on Saturday, were reduced to long-range efforts from Basinas while the home side continued to carve out decent chances. Péter Halmosi should have converted Buzsáky's cross after 31 minutes and midfielder Dániel Tőzsér was denied from 20 metres by Chalkias.

Basinas spot-kick
Greece, though, won a penalty following Hungary keeper Márton Fülöp's foul on Gekas and Basinas stepped up confidently to put Greece in front. Vánczak should have levelled again after 71 minutes but sent his free header straight at substitute goalkeeper Antonios Nikopolidis. It was to prove the last chance for Hungary who finished their campaign second from bottom of Group C.