Turkey said goodbye to their Euro 2024 dream after losing 2-1 in the quarter-final match in Berlin against the Netherlands, who for much of the game looked out of the competition but finally managed to surprise the Ottomans when everything seemed to be in the Turks’ favour.
The first half was very even and slow-paced, with both teams showing a deep respect for each other and feeling each other out, the Netherlands clearly dominating possession while Turkey – with a clearly defensive display – closed back to defend their area and limited their attacking moves to counter-attacks or corners.
After the first half hour, however, Turkey increased their pressure on the Dutch goal, whose players seemed to be unable to find any clear ideas to develop their attacking moves against their opponents’ goal. It was precisely in these moments of increased Turkish pressure that Samet popped up in the 37th minute to masterfully head Arda Güler‘s cross into the box from a corner kick, making the 0-1.
The goal came at the worst possible time for the Dutch, just when they saw that their ideas on the pitch were not coming together and that Turkey was pushing them further and further into a corner. In the end, it was 45 minutes in which Türkiye dominated and imposed its game, while their opponents were lacking in spirit.
The Netherlands strikes back in the second half
With the score in Turkey’s favour, the second half began with the Netherlands introducing attacking changes with the introduction of Weghorst in an attempt to turn the game around. After five minutes Depay had the equaliser in his boots, at a time when the Netherlands increased their pressure by repeating the patterns they had used during the first half hour: those were dangerous minutes in which Turkey was on the back foot, and the Netherlands again dominated possession.
Shortly afterwards, however, Arda’s shot grazed the post after the referee had called a foul on the edge of the area, taking the breath away of the whole stadium. The Netherlands continued to press but their players were not at ease, finding neither space for their moves nor space to break through the Ottoman defences. Kaplan in the 65th minute came close to making it 2-0, but Bart Verbruggen and his 1,93 metres stopped what seemed unstoppable.
Finally, just before the 70th minute, Stefan de Vrij headed past Günok to level the match, taking advantage of a Turkish defensive lapse. Almost immediately, the Netherlands introduced two more changes to strengthen the centre and defence with Veerman and Van de Ven, but Koeman was not satisfied with the 1-1. In fact the equaliser unsettled the Turks, who saw things go awry just when they seemed to have the game under their control. And to make matters worse, just five minutes later, Turkey’s defence faltered again and Gakpo broke through in the six-yard box; his goal would later be attributed by UEFA to Mert Müldür own goal, but it did not matter: within minutes, the Netherlands turned the game on its head, catching Turkey completely off-guard.
Heart-stopping end: Turkey revived and the Netherlands cornered
Turks were left with an emotional blow after the second goal: dislocated on the pitch, they were forced to abandon their classic strategy of defending and holding on to the result, having to take risks and open up spaces, a type of play they are not used to and in which they are not comfortable. Montella put more men up front but there were only 10 minutes to go. The tables had turned, and the Netherlands was defending at the back and counter-attacking while Turkey was playing on the offensive, with Cenk Tosun doing some of the best plays.
With five minutes to go, the Turks had two clear chances that could have forced extra time: first with a shot from Çelik that Van de Ven cleared off the line, and then with a shot from Aktürkoğlu that went just close to the goal post. The added time was a real nightmare for the Dutch, with a desperate Verbruggen calling for help from his team-mates to stop Turkey’s onslaughts on his goal, and the Netherlands totally closed in at the back and resorting to kicking the ball into the empty midfield trying to get some minutes to breathe. Unbelievable.
But time was running out against the Turks and a miracle was needed, that did not come. The Milli Takım would have needed another 5 more minutes of time cornering the Netherlands to equalise the match, and the referee was relentless in not extending the extra time. It was a tough match, both physically and emotionally, after which Turkey has said goodbye to its dream in this Euro 2024: but they leave the tournament with pride and their heads held high, having stood up to the Netherlands and played toe-to-toe against them. The Turks probably lacked more courage and self-confidence, but they have shown that they are a team to take into account, and with a lot of potential.
VOTE
As a history lover, Pablo Gómez was captivated by Turkey from the first day he visited it in 2006: he got married there, has a house there… and has since become an expert on Turkey’s current affairs. With a long experience in media, he has been at the helm of hispanatolia.com since 2011.
