EURO 2024: Netherlands rally in second half to oust Turkey
The Netherlands had to rally in the second half to oust Turkey and advance to the 2024 European Championships semifinals.
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NETHERLANDS RALLY IN SECOND HALF BEHIND DE VRIJ TO TOPPLE TURLKEY
The Netherlands had to rally in the second half behind Stefan De Vrij and a Mert Muldur own-goal to oust Turkey in their EURO 2024 last-eight match at the Olypiastadion Berlin in Germany on Saturday.
Furthermore, Samet Akaydin opened scoring for Turkey in the 35th minute before the Netherlands came alive in the second half.
De Vrij canceled Akaydin’s goal off a Memphis Depay cross in the 70th minute to tie the match for the Oranje.
Moreover, Cody Gapko got in front of Muldur to Denzel Dumfries’ low cross to force the own goal from the Turkish defender six minutes later.
The result enabled the Oranje to advance to the semifinal against England in Dortmund on Wednesday.
England edged Switzerland in a dramatic shoot-out, 5-3.
ORANJE SHOWED ‘BIG HEART’ TO BEAT TURKEY, SAYS KOEMAN
Furthermore, the Oranje showed a “big heart” to beat a Crescent Stars and a big crowd behind them, said Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman.
“The players showed tonight a big heart. We had to suffer but finally, it’s a great success,” Koeman said.
“Tonight we had to dig very deep and I am proud of these guys,” Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk told NOS.
De Vrij despite their team’s matchup against Turkey as a “real battle.”
“It was really a battle today. The Turkish team, they have a big heart, a lot of quality,” de Vrij said.
“In the end, we did well and we deserved the win,” he added.
POOR SECOND-HALF START DID TURKEY AMID ERDOGAN’S PRESENCE, SAYS CALHANOGLU
Furthermore, a poor second-half start did Turkey in amid the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the stadium, said Turkish captain Hakan Calhanoglu.
Erdogan attended the game after he changed his plans due to a diplomatic row with Germany over Merih Demiral’s gesture the previous match.
Demiral was suspended by the UEFA and he was terribly missed by the Crescent Stars in this one.
Demiral was banned after he made a “wolf salute” in Turkey’s 2-1 victory over Austria in the last 16.
“We didn’t start the second half very well and fell behind,” Calvanoglu said.
“After the second goal, we turned to long balls. Such things happen. It’s an honor to have come this far,” he added.
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