Terim urges Turkish street party after famous win
Monday, 16 Jun 2008 09:33
Fatih Terim has urged Turkish fans to have a street party
Head coach Fatih Terim has told the Turkish people to "get on the streets [and] celebrate" after a last-gasp victory over the Czech Republic.
Three goals in the final 15 minutes - including a brace from Nihat Kahveci in the final three minutes of normal time - saw the Turks come from 2-0 down to beat Karel Bruckner's side.
The win meant Turkey, rather than the Czech's, qualified for the quarterfinals of Euro 2008 for the first time in their history.
And Terim was under no illusions about what the victory meant to his nation.
"I send a message to my country and I say to the people 'get on the streets, celebrate this victory'," he said.
"We're in the top eight [in Europe]. Hopefully it will get only better from now on."
Terim, who had been criticised by some members of the press for his tactics during the Turks' qualification campaign, also said he was proud of his players for showing the heart to recover after going two goals behind in the second half.
"I'm proud that I have players who know that the match ends with the referee's whistle," he said.
"We showed the whole world what kind of a team we are. We came here to play to the end.
"We're working to make a dream [of reaching Euro 2008 final] come true."