The national football team is Turkey itself!

There are some things that are experienced only once. They occur only once and no repetition is possible, like the Turkey-Czech Republic football game at the “Stade de Geneve” that took Turkey to the quarterfinals of the Euro 2008 Football Cup.

Having the chance to watch the game at the stadium for “football beggars," as our colleague Hasan Cemal described it in a term borrowed from renowned Uruguayan novelist Eduardo Galeano, must have been a privilege. Galeano describes himself as “a beggar for good soccer;” if this is true of the spectators in the Turkey-Czech Republic game on Sunday evening (June 15), they must have gotten a big alm. Just eight nights ago, I watched the Turkey-Portugal match at this stadium. But this time I was in front of the TV. Still I felt that I was there in the stadium before the game or during half time. I visualized who did what and who acted how.

Once in 55 years

However, although I watched the last 20 minutes on television, watching this last 20 minutes at the stadium would be different for a “beggar for soccer”; I know that. I watched a football match for the first time at the 19 Mayıs stadium in Ankara 55 years ago. Since then, I’ve been to many different stadiums in different corners of the world not only as a spectator but a player as well. I was at the French stadiums or the Ajax stadium in the Netherlands every other week, in London, in Naples in Prague and in Oslo. I’ve been to many in Spain, Russia and Austria, and even to the legendary Maracanã in Rio, and of the eternal rivals River Plate and Boca Juniors in Buenos Aires. I think I watched plenty of football games in my entire life.But I don’t remember any match that was similar to the last 20 minutes of the Turkey-Czech Republic game and I don’t think I ever will. This was one of a kind; the match was the only issue being talked about the entire day. We make comments or analyses of the game and of the last 20 minute in particular. But the point is, which I believe every one agrees, this match was a “recap of Turkey”; unpredictable, surprising, exciting and exhausting as much, full of joy yet nonsense; brilliant yet whimsical. The Turkish national football team was indeed our national team. It was representing us, all of us; our country and our society. We saw all of us, our country, society and ourselves in our national football team the other day in Geneva. And we found ourselves in them. Inattentiveness, ineptitude, unnecessary nervousness and even violence (goalkeeper Volkan’s improper gesture toward the Czech footballer Jan Koller), we all have.

But on the other hand, merit, vividness, faith, we all have too. Since I have some experience in football, I know the Czech national team. They have maybe the best defense line. And their four defense players are in Italy’s top-notch teams at the La Liga league, where robust defensive football is being exhibited. Right back Zdenek Grygera plays in Juventus, left back Marek Jankulovski in Milan. One of the two stoppers in the middle captain Tomas Ujfalusi plays for Fiorentina and David Rozehnal in Lazio. Behind this quartet, the 6’6 inch tall, world’s “best goalkeeper,” Petr Cech plays at Chelsea, the European Championship finalist. The score turned against us when Jaroslav Plasil playing for the Spanish Osasuna team scored in the 62^nd minute (2-0). Even I, as a no-quitter, said, “We’re finished! We cannot pull this off such a big Czech team.” But we made it! “The world’s best goal-keeper” made a mistake and missed the ball in the last three minutes of normal time. We scored the equalizer (2-2). A minute later Turkey snatched the lead with a sensational strike by Nihat Kahveci, ending the game with a victory against the Czech Republic (3-2). Turkish goalkeeper Volkan was red-carded in injury time yet we won the match in the end!

Hats off to Turkey

Turkey defeated the Czech Republic team, which has the best defense line, in the last 20 minutes of the game. I think the Czechs have never been defeated by three goals in the last 15 minutes of any match and never lost one in the last 15 minutes. Statistics prove this anyway. The Czechs have never been battered in a match if Jan Koller is the scorer. And we for first time in our history defeated the Czech Republic national football team. Our messy team full of the injured and defeated in the first period gave a “football recital” in the last 20 minutes and turned all statistics upside down. Now, Turkey is ranked as eighth in Europe.You better take off your hat to Turkey. This is Turkey. It is unpredictable, falls apart then gets up and conquers! It is beaten up at first then ramps up! One can never lose all hope in Turkey…