Turkey closed the gap on runaway Group A leaders Germany as they beat Austria 2-0.
Hosts try and stay in touch with group leaders Germany
Turkey were able to close the gap on runaway Group A leaders Germany as they beat Austria 2-0 to move above their opponents.
Arda Turan set the Turks up for the win as he gave them a first-half lead to put them in control of the game.
Gokhan Gonul made the game safe 13 minutes from the end with his first international goal, as Stefan Maierhofer could only miss a late penalty for Austria.
Hamit Altintop asked the first question of Jurgen Macho in the sixth minute with a fierce drive from the edge of the area, but the Austria goalkeeper was up to the task and tipped the ball around the post.
Turkey stopper Volkan Demirel comfortably caught a David Alaba free-kick at the other end and then looked on as Alaba and then Paul Scharner fired wide.
Turan gave a warning of what was to come in the 21st minute when he headed over the bar from a Mehmet Ekici corner.
Ahead
Seven minutes later the hosts were ahead, Turan lashing into the bottom-right corner from 12 yards.
He could have doubled his tally six minutes after the interval but arrowed his right-footed effort wide from just outside the area.
Ekici too struck a shot over the bar as Turkey pressed for a second goal to give themselves some breathing space.
Nurnberg midfielder Ekici, a former Germany Under-21 international, then turned provider for Burak Yilmaz but he got underneath the header and failed to test Macho.
Volkan had to be alert in the 69th minute to divert a Christian Fuchs free-kick away for a corner, and the save proved crucial as eight minutes later Turkey grabbed their second when Gonul's left-footed strike from Semih Senturk's pass found the bottom-right corner.
Austria must have sensed it was not to be their night and that was confirmed six minutes from time when Volkan dived to his right to save Maierhofer's penalty after Hakan Kadir Balta had fouled Erwin Hoffer.
