Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Sept 8 2008
Turkey does the talking on the pitch
Turkish players (L) celebrate one of their goals against Armenia
during their 2010 World Cup qualifying match in Yerevan on Saturday.
Turkey, the better, stronger and faster team, won as the national team
shut out Armenia 2-0 in their 2010 World Cup qualifying Group 5 game
at Hrazdan Stadium in Yerevan on Saturday evening, with two
second-half goals by Tuncay Å?anlı and SemihÅ?entürk.
Looking at the latest FIFA rankings shows that Turkey and Armenia
belong to different galaxies in the universe of soccer. The Turks, the
2002 World Cup and Euro 2008 semifinalists, are placed 10th while
Armenia is a distant 98th. This means any soccer match between the two
countries should be a foregone conclusion — a clear victory for
Turkey.
But Saturday’s Armenia-Turkey encounter was much more than a soccer
match. It was the first ever game between the senior national teams of
the two neighboring countries with no diplomatic relations and a
closed border. And even though Turkey coach Fatih Terim said in his
post-match press conference in Yerevan that "we are here [in Armenia]
to play soccer and we do no not want to take responsibility for the
history between the two nations," everything was at stake in this
match. Apart from precious points, as we mentioned in our preview to
this match, nationalistic fervor, rivalry, precious points, pride,
prestige, history and bragging rights were all at stake.
Nothing is more natural than the big fish eating the small fish. And
as Armenia’s Danish coach Jan Poulsen predicted when he said: "Turkey
is considered the favorite. … Everyone expects them to win," the
Turks gave the Armenians a good soccer lesson and once again proved,
beyond reasonable doubt, that they are among the best top 10 in world
soccer — and they will beat the Armenians a thousand times if both
countries play a thousand times.
Match details
After a scoreless first half Tuncay gave the visiting Turks the lead
in the 61st minute, scoring from close range. Semih made it 2-0 in the
79th, capitalizing on a defender’s mistake in the box. Mehmet Aurelio
had an early chance for Turkey but his powerful shot from 14 meters
four minutes into the game was blocked by goalkeeper Roman Berezovsky.
Armenia had a half chance in the eighth when Volkan Demirel saved
Gamlet Mkhitarian’s drive from 25 meters. Though there were no goals
in the first half, Turkey, undisputedly the superior side, looked more
organized.
The Turks came close midway through the first half when captain Emre
BelozoÄ?lu shaved the crossbar from the edge of the box in the
27th minute. Three minutes later, Mevlut Erdinç broke down the
left flank only to hit the outer side of the net.
The game was marked by the presence of President Abdullah Gül,
making this the first visit by a Turkish president to
Armenia. Gül was invited to attend the game by his Armenian
counterpart, Serzh Sarksyan, who called for closer ties in a region
rocked last month by Russia’s war with Georgia.
So in the end it was a soccer match after all and the Turks proved
soccer can be a meritocracy. They did not allow the "beautiful game"
to fall prey to the politics of antagonism.
Also in Group 5 on Saturday, Belgium beat Estonia 3-2 at home and
Spain edged visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-0. On Wednesday, Turkey
hosts Belgium while Armenia is to meet European champion Spain on its
turf.
Turkish Under-21s topple Czech Republic in Bursa
A pair of second-half goals from Aydın Karabulut took Turkey
past the Czech Republic and to the top of Group 2 with one match to
play after victory at Bursa’s Atatürk Stadium.
Aydın struck at the 63rd and 85th minute to seal a crucial
victory for coach Hami Mandıralı’s side, which will now
confirm its place in the playoffs should it draw at home with Armenia
on Tuesday. The Turks lead the group by a point over the Czechs, who
must win at home against Ukraine in their final match and hope, maybe
against hope, that the Turks slip against Armenia. Ä°stanbul
Today’s Zaman
08 September 2008, Monday
OKAN UDO BASSEY Ä°STANBUL