Portugal book semi-final place

Alpay is shown the red card

Portugal 2-0 Turkey
(Amsterdam - Att: 45,000)

Portugal became the first side to secure to a semi-final place at Euro 2000 with a stylish defeat of Turkey in Amsterdam.

Both goals were scored by Nuno Gomes, the player who grabbed the winner against England in their memorable tussle at the start of the tournament.

After a furiously contested first half, which saw Turkey reduced to ten men, the Portuguese played arguably the best football of the tournament, creating chance after chance, with the skills of Luis Figo and Rui Costa very much coming to the fore.

But the first half had been a very different story, with the unfancied Turks very much holding their own, until they lost Alpay through a debatable refereeing decision, as well as conceding the lead shortly before half-time.

Even so, an injury-time penalty could have seen them restore penalty, but Arif Erdem's spot-kick was easily saved by Portugal captain Vitor Baia.

Wicked

Arif misses his crucial penalty

Costinha, the player who had scored in the final minute against Romania, nearly opened the scoring in the 18th minute, benefitting from a wicked corner by Luis Figo that found him unmarked at the far post. After controlling it, he struck a left footed shot which failed to get past the imposing frame of Rustu Recber.

At the other end, Hakan Sukur lifted a header over the Portugal crossbar from Ogun's free-kick.

A stormy period of play followed, culminating in Alpay's dismissal. Joao Pinto was shown a yellow card for a foul on Hakan Unsal, although it appeared that the Turkish player had made more of the challenge than necessary.

The resulting free-kick found Couto lying on the floor clutching his face after taking a boot to the head from one of his own players. But the referee seemed to believe that the wound had been caused by Alpay. Although there was contact between the players, television replays seemed to prove that it was minor, but a red card was shown nonetheless.

Dismissal

Match facts

29 mins: Alpay is sent off for violent conduct

44 mins: Gomes scores for Portugal

45 mins: Couto fouls Arif, but the player misses the resulting penalty

56 mins: Gomes scores the seconf from close range

Initially, Portugal seemed more affected by the dismissal than the Turks, with Couto, Rui Costa and Costinha all booked before the end of the half.

Costinha missed another chance from a corner before the important goal, which came from Figo's trickery on the right, the Barcelona winger delivering a super cross which found Gomes ahead of his marker in the penalty area, and the striker stooped to head past Recber.

Joao Pinto should have doubled the lead shortly after, with Turkish heads clearly distressed at their plight, before Turkey were gifted a chance to pull level in the fifth minute of first half injury time.

Couto, who had become a target of Turkish frustration after the sending off, tripped Arif in the penalty area for a clear penalty.

Delivery

Portuguese hero Nuno Gomes

It would be Arif himself who took the penalty, but his delivery was low and to the centre, which made it a comfortable penalty save for Baia.

Tayfur had a chance at the start of the second half to give his country parity, the ball falling to him from Baia's error at a corner. But the player, ten yards out, failed to control his lob, which floated over the crossbar.

A man short, the Turks were looser at the back and Figo took full advantage when he beat his man on the right and drifted into the penalty area to provide the unmarked Gomes with a tap-in in the 59th minute.

That goal effectively ended the contest, with the sublime Portuguese talents taking advantage of gaps in the Turkish defence. Figo, Gomes and Joao Pinto all had chances to extend the lead. If there is a worry for Portuguese supporters ahead of their semi-final, it is that their team are quite often too casual in front of goal.

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Teams:

Portugal: Baia, Costa, Couto, Dimas, Figo, Rui Costa (Capucho 86), Conceicao, Costinha (Sousa 46), Bento, Pinto, Gomes (Sa Pinto 75).

Turkey: Recber, Akyel, Penbe, Temizkanoglu (Yalcin 84), Ozalan, Unsal, Korkut, Buruk (Derelioglu 62), Havutcu, Erdem (Kaya 62), Sukur.

Referee: D Jol (Holland).