Soccer-Euro-Czechs and Turkey could face shootout group decider

By Mitch Phillips

VIENNA, June 11 (Reuters) - Czech Republic and Turkey will have a penalty shootout to decide who advances to the Euro 2008 quarter-finals if they draw their final Group A game in Geneva on Sunday.

It would be the first time a shootout will have been used to decide a group game in a major tournament.

The new system is making its debut at this tournament and the odds of it needing to be used in the opening group were extremely long beforehand.

Portugal are already guaranteed to top the group after wins over both teams, who each have three points after Czech Republic beat Switzerland 1-0 in their opening game and Turkey snatched an injury-time 2-1 victory over Switzerland on Wednesday.

A new UEFA regulation for this tournament states if two teams playing each other in the final round of group matches draw their game and are level overall -- with no other teams involved -- on points, goal difference and goals scored, then their finishing position will be decided by penalties.

If the teams are level after 90 minutes on Sunday -- no extra-time involved -- penalties will decide who advances.

If it does go to a shootout then the odds would favour a Czech success.

They have been involved in three shootouts, two as Czechoslovakia -- the first to win the 1976 European Championship final against West Germany -- and one as Czech Republic but have won all three.