Atletico Madrid's Arda Turan scored a dramatic 95th-minute free-kick to send

Turkey into second place in Euro 2012 qualifying Group A as they eventually got

the better of Kazakhstan.

Knowing a win would see them overtake Belgium - who had earlier floundered

against Azerbaijan - Guus Hiddink's men looked to be headed for a night of

frustration as Ulan Konysbayev cancelled out Burak Yilmaz's opener, with Yilmaz

also missing a penalty.

Having wasted a number of chances, Turkey lost their cool and Selcuk Inan was

sent off late on, just seconds before Turan turned the situation on its head

with his 12th international goal.

Turkey were the quicker of the sides to settle and had the first chance when

Turan warmed the palms of Alexandr Mokin from just inside the box.

Hakan Kadir Balta then tried to make something happen from distance, his shot

being blocked by Yuri Logvinenko, while Serdar Kesimal was a little too

ambitious when he took aim from 35 yards.

The traffic was all one way, even if Turkey were unable to get into the

Kazakhstan six-yard box, and Emre highlighted their lack of final-third spark

when he twice tried his luck from outside the box, with his first shot superbly

tipped over by Mokin, and his second blocked by the obdurate Logvinenko.

Turan, who made a fleeting Atletico debut last weekend, also put a header wide,

before finally Turkey got the goal their play had deserved.

It came just after Kazakhstan had registered their first effort through a

Sergei Gridin header.

The goal was simple in its creation, with Inan's pass finding Yilmaz in space,

and the Trabzonspor man netted his second international goal with a crisp finish

from 12 yards.

Buoyed by his goal, Yilmaz tested Mokin before the break as he went in search

of a double, while Logvinenko's header almost saw him make a telling

contribution at the other end of the pitch.

Despite that late flourish, Kazakhstan had contributed little, and it looked

set to continue that way in the second half as Colin Kazim-Richards worked Mokin

and Selcuk Inan blazed over.

But then, in the 55th minute, Kazakhstan equalised out of the blue, when FC

Shakhter Karagandy midfielder Konysbayev picked up possession 20 yards out and

let fly, leaving the previously quiet Volkan Demirel helpless.

The home side were stunned but had the chance to regain the lead inside eight

minutes - an opportunity they squandered.

Turan's ball in reared up and hit the hand of Mukhtar Mukhtarov, prompting

referee Clement Turpin to point to the spot, only for Yilmaz to blaze high and

wide.

Undeterred, Egeman Korkmaz led the charge for a winner with a header that

flashed wide, but Kazakhstan now had some confidence and Sergei Gridin worked

Demirel with a volley.

Home tempers began to rise and Turkey ended the night a man down after Inan was

dismissed for a foul on Heinrich Schmidtgal, but spirits were soon lifted when

Turan bent in a free-kick from the left wing that evaded everyone and went in.