Alpine horns greet Swiss success

The normally sedate Swiss let their hair down last night as they celebrated the national team's qualification for the FIFA World Cup finals in Germany.

Car-horn chorus
A 4-2 defeat in Turkey saw Jakob Kuhn's side progress to the finals on away goals, and anyone who tried to have an early night on Wednesday was unlikely to have got much sleep as a chorus of car horns echoed across the Alpine nation as delighted supporters took to the streets.

Victory in defeat
The Thursday morning papers were suitably euphoric. "Switzerland 'win' 2-4," said the headline of Swiss-German tabloid Blick, while Berner Zeitung paid tribute to the way Kuhn's side had not caved in under pressure with the headline: "Trembling towards a happy ending."

Justice done
French-language newspaper Le Matin spoke for many supporters in Switzerland - although perhaps not the nation's sizeable Turkish population - when it concluded: "Switzerland are going to Germany. Given what they had shown in the group stage, justice can seen to have been done."

Tremendous opportunity
Qualification for the finals, which will be held just over the border in Germany, provides a tremendous opportunity for Kuhn's side to get some top-level competitive experience ahead of their co-hosting of the finals of UEFA EURO 2008™ with neighbours Austria.

'A bit too soon'
"The World Cup will maybe come a bit too soon for us, but we have learned yet another lesson," Kuhn said. "In the past two years we have become calm and reassured. This gives us hope. The game was very stressful. But anyone who has followed our team this year, will quickly understand how much the players have matured. I also have to thank my assistant Michel Pont - he is worth his weight in gold."

Streller the hero
The hero of the night was VfB Stuttgart striker Marco Streller whose late goal calmed his side's nerves as he made up for missing the finals of UEFA EURO 2004™ with a broken leg. And Streller insists that he was never in doubt that his side would progress.

'Simply great'
"It is simply great," he said. "Even after their fourth goal I was convinced that we would make it. The coach did everything right again." Young hopeful Tranquillo Barnetta added: "It is wonderful that the whole of Switzerland got behind us. We never let ourselves be intimidated."

Turkish misery
Meanwhile, Turkish supporters have been left to rue an undistinguished performance in the 2-0 first-leg defeat in Berne and defensive frailty at home. "We could have scored several more goals," said Halil Altintrop. "Our problems in defence are well known and that's why the Swiss were able to make it."