Turkey captain Nihat Kahveci admitted it was an "unbelievable feeling" to see his team recover from a two-goal deficit to earn a last-gasp 3-2 win over the Czech Republic in a Group A thriller in Geneva.

The Villarreal striker grabbed a sensational double in the final four minutes to complete a memorable comeback by the Turks, who finished second in their pool and now face Croatia in a quarter-final tie in Vienna on Friday.

Nihat, whose first goal came after a ghastly handling error by Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech, said: "Up until we went 2-0 down, we didn't play well but we didn't give up."

The recovery was sparked when Arda Turan halved the deficit in the 75th minute but nothing could have prepared his side for what was to follow.

"The first goal was the key, the turning point, and it created concern within the Czechs," he added. "I managed to make the most of the mistake by their keeper to score the second and then I got the third.

"You don't get many games like this in tournaments like these and the feeling was enormous to see the ball hit the back of the net.

"To see that goal qualify us for the quarter-final is an unbelievable feeling. We are so happy we did it."

The Czechs looked home and dry in the 61st minute when Jaroslav Plasil added to Jan Koller's first-half opener to put his team 2-0 ahead.

But the Turks' never-say-die attitude enabled them to mount an unlikely recovery in the pouring rain at the Stade de Geneve.