Eren Albayrak times return to perfection

Injury comeback
Defender Semih Kaya and forward Cem Sultan were ruled out on the eve of the finals, while striker Muhammet Demir and left-winger Eren Albayrak were severe doubts. Indeed, Eren Albayrak had been out for six months with a groin injury but both he and Muhammet Demir were named in the squad - and both came off the bench to score in the opening 3-0 defeat of the Netherlands that proved decisive in clinching Group A first place and a semi-final tonight against France.

'Incredible boost'
Eren Albayrak told uefa.com: "It was an incredible boost for me. It was a wonderful start to be able to score in the first game - it took away the suffering and the stress of being injured all that time." However, he has been a substitute in the subsequent games, and admits: "I was injured for six months, it has cost me match fitness and overall power. I have been waiting for this tournament for the last two years, really looking forward to it, but I am very young and there will be opportunities in the future too and I just want to get fully fit."

France encounter
France are many people's tip for this tournament, despite Turkey's status as group winners and hosts, something the Bursaspor player, who has already attracted plenty of interest from clubs as far afield as England and Scotland, acknowledges. "At this level there are no weak teams, the strongest eight out of 53," he said. "We know France's strengths, but I believe the team that makes the fewest mistakes will win as it is going to be very close. We are also a good team and we hope to beat them and reach the final. We are a team with a very strong spirit, we really want to win this tournament."