Berlin: Netherlands and Turkey will be facing off in the quarter-finals of the 2024 European Championship at the Olympiastadion. The winner of this game will face the winner of the England vs Switzerland clash in the semi-finals.
Turkey are in their fourth quarter-final in their history at major tournaments with their last appearance coming in 2008 when they went on to beat Croatia on penalties before losing against Germany in the semis.
Ahead of the momentous occasion. Head coach Vincenzo Montella has hailed his side’s performance and stated the team must ‘turn emotions into energy.’
“Some of the players are used to playing these matches, preparing for these matches, and they have a bit of an edge. We must be able to manage this emotional sphere, to turn the emotions into energy. We are younger, we can have more energy and this can give us an edge,” said Monetella in the pre-game conference.
The Turkish team will be without Merih Demiral who scored a brace in their Round of 16 tie against Austria after the defender was handed a two-game ban by UEFA for his celebration of the second goal.
“Themiral celebrated his second goal with a “wolf salute,” a motion connected to the far-right extremist group Grey Wolves, which is connected to the National Movement Party, the party that leads Turkey’s coalition government. Demiral claimed that the salute, which is prohibited in France and Austria, was prepared in case he scored.
The head coach went on to express his appreciation to the fans and asked them to ‘show their Turkish pride.’
“They’ve been passionate and really given us their love. They’ve always been brilliantly behaved and that’s what I expect tomorrow. They must show their Turkish pride, be close to the team and show us that even when having hard times,” he added.
–IANS