Fenerbahce acclaimed as national heroes after Seville upset
Thursday 06 March 2008
Latest in European
Related articles
-
Football in Brief: Scots to try out safe standing; Boyd to return; Seville chief jailedn
-
Roberto Di Matteo: Chelsea have the quality to shock Barça and reach Champions League final
-
Manchester United misfit Bebe breaks Besiktas curfew to cast future into doubt
-
Jelavic: I am sticking with Rangers for chance to win more trophies
On Facebook
Sport blogs
Top 14: The climax of the season
On this side of the Channel the nation’s best players are packing off either for their summer holida...
iBet: Germany could have their shooting boots on at Euro 2012
With a bit of a lull in sporting activity before the European Championships kicks off on June 8th, I...
Southgate’s amnesia, Reid’s fuzz and a feeling in Chiles’ waters
Early doors, the ITV boys were inevitably harking back to 1981, when Norway beat Ron Greenwood's Eng...
Turkish fans celebrated late into the night on Tuesday after Fenerbahce beat Seville to reach the Champions League quarter-finals, and yesterday's morning newspapers heralded the victory as putting the club among the giants of European football.
"Fenerbahce, the new star of Europe," proclaimed Sabah newspaper above a photo of the club's players running to congratulate goalkeeper Volkan Demirel after he saved the last of three spot kicks in a penalty shoot-out.
Fenerbahce became only the second Turkish team to reach the quarter-finals of the competition after former Uefa Cup-winners Galatasaray, whose success in Europe has until now overshadowed that of their Istanbul rivals.
"We said we would become a global giant and we are slowly progressing towards this," Fenerbahce Chairman Aziz Yildirim said in Seville after watching his team's fightback in Tuesday's match.
Seville, who had lost the first leg 3-2, raced into a two-goal lead in the first nine minutes and added a third just before half-time. But Fenerbahce reined them in with two goals to force extra-time.
The recipe for Fenerbahce's success has a strong Brazilian flavour under the leadership of coach Zico. The club's two goals on Tuesday were scored by Deivid and another Brazilian, playmaker Alex, has played an influential role in the club's progress since he joined from Cruzeiro in 2004.
Mehmet Aurelio, who has joint Brazilian and Turkish citizenship and plays for the Turkish national team, is also a vital element in the team's midfield. Defender Roberto Carlos missed the Seville game because of injury.
Despite the fierce rivalry between Fenerbahce and the other major Istanbul clubs, Galatasaray and Besiktas, the victory was trumpeted as a triumph for the whole of Turkish football, which has drifted since the national side reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2002.
"This pride is not just Fenerbahce's pride because Fenerbahce was Turkey and it achieved this success in the name of Turkey," said the former national team coach, Mustafa Denizli.
- 1 Rodgers link to Liverpool fades as Sigurdsson joins Swansea
- 2 Adem Ljajic banished from Serbia set-up after national anthem snub
- 3 Abramovich persuades Torres to stay at Chelsea
- 4 Brendan Rodgers back in the running as Liverpool arrange talks over vacant manager position
- 5 Italy squad in crisis as fixing rears head again
- 6 Euro 2012 files: The youngsters
- 7 Federer proud to draw level with Connors' record of match wins
- 8 Bunce on Boxing: Johnny Tapia, a great fighter who dodged bullets but not needles
- 9 Sports caption competition winners
- 10 Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United transfer 'target' Eden Hazard has 'made up mind'
- 1 Robert Fisk: Clinton's $33m raid on Pakistan shows that, in the end, hypocrisy will win
- 2 Brazil rocked by abortion for 9-year-old rape victim
- 3 Brilliant pupil's 'logical' suicide
- 4 Robert Fisk: The West is horrified by children's slaughter now. Soon we'll forget
- 5 Sex in dressing rooms and Play School presenters 'stoned out of their minds' - inside BBC Television Centre
- 6 'Hello mum, this is going to be hard for you to read ...'
- 7 Alien: The monster returns?
- 8 UN condemns Syria after massacre of civilians
- 9 Coke reveals its secret: It may need to carry a cancer warning
- 10 French in uproar over oral sex anti-smoking posters
Experience the Heineken Hub
Get free wi-fi and exclusive i content while you enjoy a tasty pint of Heineken at participating pubs.
Can you imagine a career in teaching?
Be inspired to teach - let real teachers show you how rewarding the job can be.
Playing a game-changing role during the Games
Cisco is providing the solutions for London 2012's complex IT needs.
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
Career Services
Day In a Page
'I may be deaf, but you can still talk to me'





Comments