Turkey - Germany 2:1 (1:0)



Match Number:	766
Date:		08-Oct-2005
Location:	Istanbul, Turkey
Competition:	Friendly

TURKEY:
Volkan 
Hamit Altintop, Alpay, Toraman, Ümit Özat (78. Ibrahim Akin) -
Selcuk Sahin (86. Nuri Sahin), Hüseyin Cimsir, Bastürk (46. Ergün, Tümer (67. Necati) -
Halil Altintop (46. Serkan), Nihat (84. Serhat)

GERMANY:
Kahn
Owomoyela, Mertesacker, Sinkiewicz, Jansen -
B. Schneider, Frings (46. Deisler), Borowski (73. Hanke), Schweinsteiger (81. Hitzlsperger) -
Podolski, Kuranyi (46.Neuville)

Scoring:
1:0 Halil Altintop (25.)
2:0 Nuri Sahin (89.)
2:1 Neuville (90., assist Schneider)

Referee: Domenico Messina (Italy)
Yellow cards: Hüseyin Cimsir, Volkan - Frings

Attendance: 25,000
In a rather listless and lame performance, the DFB squad lost 2-1 on the road against Turkey in a friendly. Although without the services of playmaker Michael Ballack, the Germans generally played crap, which indicates that the honeymoon around Jürgen Klinsmann's leadership of the squad has probably petered out. The Turks looked quicker and superior to the clumsy DFB squad, who still managed to generate a few solid chances - but Turkey's keeper Volkan was up to the task, which is probably more than you can say about his counterpart Oliver Kahn. (actually, Kahn and Podolski were the only German players that were even half-way decent.) To add insult to injury, the finishing goal was scored by Nur Sahin of Borussia Dortmund, who at 16 recently became the youngest player in the Bundesliga. Apparently the Turks snapped him up so he couldn't change his mind and play someday for Germany. Germany's consolation goal was scored in injury time by retread Oliver Neuville. The crap national team is a crisis of immense proportions, more important than the recent election impasse.
Abseits Guide to German Soccer