Nihat hoping for Turkey-Spain final

Turkey striker Nihat is relishing the prospect of playing Spain, the nation in which he plies his domestic trade, in the final of Euro 2008.

Despite being 2-0 down with just 15 minutes to go in its final group game, Turkey completed a remarkable comeback thanks to Nihat's brace to progress to the knockout stages.

Nihat has now set his sight on a final berth, though his side must first navigate a difficult-looking quarterfinal against Slavemn Bilic's Croatia, a side that has been backed by many pundits to lift the Henri Delauney trophy in Austria and Switzerland.

The 28-year-old, who will make his 59th international appearance on Friday, has acknowledged the difficult task Turkey faces if it is to progress to the final but admits he is finding it difficult to block the thought of clash with his adopted homeland.

The Villarreal forward said: "I've played in Spain for the past six years and so I'd like to see Spain make it to the final ...against Turkey. It is very difficult to sum up this happiness with only one sentence."

The stand-in captain also cited the defeat of the Czech Republic as the most glorious moment in his international career.

"I think that moment was a crucial moment for the whole country. I can say that, those two goals were the best two goals that I have ever scored."

It was not the first time that Turkey had come from behind to secure the win having already overturned a one-goal deficit against Switzerland in the match before, and Nihat is now looking for the side to build a lead in games themselves rather than have to reverse an advantage.

"I prefer scoring the first goal. We are the only team that concedes the first goal and then goes on to win," he added. "We feel very happy about that and can worry our opponents with this weapon. But, to repeat, I prefer scoring the first goal."