Semih motivated by outsider status

'Unforgettable'
Forward Semih has won half of his eight caps at these finals and, with Nihat Kahveci's injury-enforced departure from the squad, he seems certain to be used from the start on Wednesday at St. Jakob-Park. It was at this venue that he reignited Turkey's campaign with his strike against the co-hosts just under a fortnight ago. He performed even greater heroics by scoring with the last kick of extra time against Croatia. He now admits that when Turkey fell behind moments before, he assumed they would be going home. "To be truthful, I thought the tournament was over for us," he said. "But after their goal, our coach Fatih Terim told us to launch the ball forward. When the ball eventually dropped in front of me, I hit it, with the help of God, for one of my most unforgettable goals."

Terim inspiration
The 25-year-old has made a habit of scoring as a substitute, not just for Turkey but for Fenerbahçe SK, most notably their UEFA Champions League first knockout round first-leg winner against Sevilla FC. With so many absentees, Terim does not have many options but to use Semih from the start in Basel, and the No9 is confident his coach can deliver. "Fatih Terim is the best coach I have ever worked with," Semih said. "He is a great tactician and a great motivator for us. You can do your best with him. He gives us a lot of confidence and is patient with all of us." He also promises that Turkey will try to avoid letting their opponents take the lead, as has happened in all four of their games here. "We will be confident in ourselves against Germany," Semih said. "We know what we have achieved and we are proud of it. I think Germany will have some fear playing against us, because it is a one-off match and the loser will be going home."