Terim proudly dedicated the victory to the people of his nation

Turkey coach Fatih Terim said his team's stunning late comeback to beat the Czech Republic 3-2 was testament to their ability to fight until the end.

Nihat Kahveci's brace with minutes left in the winner-goes-through game booked a quarter-final tie against Croatia.

"I'm proud that I have players who know that the match ends with the referee's whistle," he said. "We showed the whole world what kind of a team we are.

"We came here to play to the end. We're working to make that goal come true."

With Turkey looking like they would be packing their bags for home, Nihat profited from an unlikely blunder from Petr Cech - considered one of the world's greatest keepers - to prod home before firing a sensational winner in off the bar after springing the off-side trap.

"At that moment, I just thought of shooting to where I saw," said Nihat on his 89th-minute winning goal.

"It went well and it got in, thank God.

"Seeing the ball in the nets and knowing that the goal was bringing a win and the quarter-finals, it was an unbelievable feeling."

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Terim, whose nickname in among fans of the national team is 'The Emperor', had a clear message for the Turkish people.

"I send a message to my country and I say to the people 'get on the streets, celebrate this victory, profit from this moment'!" he said.

"We're in the top eight. Hopefully it will get only better from now."