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The Turks go through to the quarters! How about that!?!? Personally, I don't like their style of play - but you have to give them lots of credit for getting there!!
(I can't say that I am happy about UEFA's softly-softly approach to Turkish fans' rioting after the match though. But that's nothing to do with football, I suppose . . . . I don't like all this political back-stabbing. It's threatening to totally destroy the tournament. I wish we could just get on with the football.)
Teams and things
TURKEY (4-4-2): 1 R Rustu (Fenerbahçe) - 4 A Fatih (Galatasaray), 3 T Ogun (Fenerbahçe), 5 O Alpay (Fenerbahçe), 19 A Ercan (Fenerbahçe) - 11 K Tayfun (Fenerbahçe), 7 B Okan (Galatasaray; sub: 16 P Ergun, Galatasaray, 17min), 14 K Suat (Galatasaray), 8 K Tugay (Rangers; sub: 2 H Tayfur, Besiktas, 37) - 9 H Sukur (Galatasaray), 6 E Arif (Galatasaray; sub: 13 O Osman, Trabzonspor, 87). Substitutes not used: 12 C Omer (Gaziantespor), 21 T Fevzi (Besiktas), 10 Y Sergen (Galatasaray), 15 M Izzet (Leicester City), 17 D Oktay (Besiktas), 18 A Ayhan (Besiktas), 20 H Unsal (Galatasaray). Booked: Osman, Tayfun.
BELGIUM (4-4-2): 1 F de Wilde (Anderlecht) - 2 E Deflandre (FC Brugge), 3 J Valgaeren (Roda JC), 4 L Staelens (Anderlecht), 18 N van Kerckhoven (Schalke 04) - 11 G Verheyen (FC Brugge; sub: 10 B Strupar, Derby County, 62), 6 Y Vanderhaeghe (Mouscron), 7 M Wilmots (Schalke 04), 8 B Goor (Anderlecht; sub: 22 M Hendrikx, Genk, 58) - 9 E Mpenza (Schalke 04), 16 L Nilis (PSV Eindhoven; sub: 20 G de Bilde, Sheffield Wednesday, 77). Substitutes not used: 12 G de Vlieger (Anderlecht), 13 F Herpoel (Gent), 5 P Clement (FC Brugge), 14 J Walem (Parma), 15 J Peeters (Armenia Bielefeld), 17 P Léonard (AS Monaco), 19 E van Meir (Lierse), 21 M Mpenza (Sporting Lisbon), Booked: Vanderhaeghe, Mpenza. Sent off: De Wilde.
Referee: K Milton Nielsen (Denmark; replaced by G Benko, Austria, 40).
Match Report from "The Times"
IT BEGAN with a Mexican Wave and ended with a frenzied version of the conga that snaked its way inside the fenced perimeter of the King Baudouin Stadium. Amid all the dancing and the celebration of football, Turkey understood the simple formula that equates goals with victories, qualifying for the quarter-finals of the European championship for the first time.
Belgium can now return to their previous lack of interest. Having only belatedly realised that a sporting event of some magnitude was taking place in their back yard, the prize of their continued involvement was rudely snatched away just as they were beginning to enjoy themselves. The wave was transformed into a salute of farewell.
It was not so much stylish as farcical. Not content with peppering Turkey with shots of a miserable nature last night, their participation ended with Eric Deflandre, the right back, in goal. Filip de Wilde was sent off for a neck-high challenge on Erdem Arif and with Robert Waseige, the head coach, having used his full complement of substitutes, a stand-in was nominated.
As they had against Italy, Belgium proved that they could scuffle and bustle with the best of them but shots were either pushed, fluffed or flapped wide of Rustu in the Turkey goal. Blame could only be apportioned to themselves, because within the first quarter of the match four clear chances were spurned.
Three of them involved Emile Mpenza. The sequence began in the first minute, when a square pass from Bart Goor invited a low, raking shot, continued with another excellent chance and was completed with an effort ruled out for offside.
Rather more effective last night was Luc Nilis, who outpaced three Turkey defenders before directing a shot into Rustu's chest. A drive from Goor, deflected off the body of Fatih, also whistled wide of the right post. Previously relegated to the position of bemused spectators, Turkey were emboldened. A chip from Sukur resulted in Okan clearing the target when placed with a clear sight of goal and Arif's shot struck De Wilde's legs before ballooning above the crossbar.
In the 45th minute, an unimaginitive punt from Alpay bounced behind Lorenzo Staelens and in front of De Wilde, who grasped helplessly for the ball. Hakan Sukur climbed to head into the net.
Having thrown the kitchen sink at Turkey, Belgium contrived to add the bath as well. Twice more Mpenza was the culprit. On another evening, the striker might have become the tournament's leading scorer, but his frustration was illustrated with a caution for a late aerial challenge on Rustu. He could find no other way to better the goalkeeper. A centre from Nilis found Mpenza unmarked, yet a bullet of a header from eight yards was pushed away. Another, inspired by Deflandre, met with a similar fate.
Turkish delight was unconfined when, in the seventieth minute, a through-ball from Suat set Okan racing clear of the offside trap and Sukur dispatched his pass at the far post. They will play Portugal in Amsterdam on Saturday.
