Turkey delight in hard times

Ian Chadband13 April 2012

Butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. Oh no, says Rivaldo, he doesn't believe the Turks are fuelled by anger at the way he cheated them in their opening World Cup game.

He must be kidding. For if Brazil have anything to be concerned about in their semi-final in Saitama on Wednesday, it's that an already neat, well-organised, feisty Turkish team have good reason to come armed with a powerful sense of injustice too after Rivaldo's despicable play-acting during their defeat in Ulsan three weeks ago.

Revenge was the word being bandied about in the Turkish camp after Senol Gunes's side became the second wholly unlikely qualifiers for the last four with their 1-0 golden goal defeat of Senegal in Osaka on Saturday. Unlikely but well-deserved, though, because in the four mediocre quarter-finals here, they played the most convincing football.

"I don't think they're at all upset with Brazil. I think they're happy with us because we helped them qualify by beating Costa Rica," said Rivaldo. The gall of the man!

In fact, the Turks were neither happy with the haughty way that the Brazilians dismissed their challenge before the first game, nor the late, dubious but decisive penalty awarded against them - which Rivaldo himself converted - during the 2-1 defeat after Luizao appeared to have been fouled outside the box.

Above all, they were enraged that Rivaldo should go into his dying swan routine by the corner flag, clutching his face in agony when Hakan Unsal booted the ball at his legs with no great ferocity. Hakan got sent off, and Rivaldo was fined for faking the injury when many of us would have liked him to have been banned from at least the rest of the group stages for the singularly most hateful incident of the competition.

The Brazilians can't be relishing a return bout, especially with Ronaldinho suspended and Ronaldo struggling to overcome a muscle injury. "They still haven't got over that penalty," conceded midfielder Gilberto Silva, while coach Luiz Felipe Scolari admitted he didn't fancy facing them again, particularly since they've developed a spirit which was nowhere in evidence at the beginning of a competition where they were considered mere makeweights.

"We are a team for hard times," boomed Aston Villa defender Alpay. They'd been mercilessly criticised in the press, there was supposedly a rift between religious and non-religious players in the squad, while captain and goalscoring totem, Hakan Sukur, who hasn't been able to hit a barn door here yet still looks sure to retain his place on Wednesday, was quoted as criticising team-mates and threatening to quit the squad after the tournament finished.

They had a flight from hell through pockets of turbulence before the Japan game which left one player injured and others fearing for their life and, even now, they are at war with their national media who turned on them after they were almost eliminated by Costa Rica. "But not one of us gave up," said Alpay.

While more celebrated European teams are already home weary and dispirited, Gunes's crew seem to be growing stronger. There may be two key elements in this.

One, many of their key players have had long lay-offs through either injury or being sidelined by their clubs so rustiness has gradually given way to freshness. The other that, with nine of those on duty on Saturday playing or having played for Galatasaray, they know each other's games inside out.

So a Korea versus Turkey World Cup final, which would have been a thousand to one shot before it all kicked off ? "Well, why not?" smiled Gunes, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

At this barmy World Cup, we could believe anything.

Brazil v Turkey
World Cup semi-final
12.30pm, Wednesday, Saitama

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