Turkey, boosted by legion of fans and rising star Arda Guler, ready to put the heat on Portugal

DORTMUND – Electrified by their Euro 2024 opening win and strong support from their passionate fans, Turkey will try to keep the momentum going when they face Portugal in Dortmund on June 22.

The Portuguese had to dig deep to beat Czech Republic 2-1 with a stoppage-time winner by Francisco Conceicao in their first Group F game, which raised questions about Roberto Martinez’s side who arrived among the favourites.

They are widely seen as having one of the best squads at the European Championship after a perfect run in qualifying with 10 wins and still have 39-year-old captain Cristiano Ronaldo as their focal point.

But faced with high expectations, Portugal struggled against the disciplined Czechs and will now have to take on tough opponents in the motivated Turks, who won 3-1 in a hard-fought game against Georgia.

Tens of thousands of Turkey fans draped in the country’s red flag created a raucous atmosphere in their opener and even more are expected for the highly anticipated clash against Martinez’s men.

“They were amazing in the Georgia match. Even in bad weather, they were at the stadium for us and were so loud,” the versatile Ferdi Kadioglu, who can play as a fullback, midfielder or winger, said of the fan support.

“With them, we feel like we are playing with 12 men.”

Almost three million people with Turkish roots live in Germany, following a wave of migration that began in the 1960s.

The close ties are reflected in the German and Turkish teams.

Germany captain Ilkay Gundogan has Turkish roots, while Turkey midfielder Salih Ozcan was born in Cologne and plays for Borussia Dortmund.

But the talk of Vincenzo Montella’s Turkey side – and perhaps even the tournament – is Real Madrid teenager and rising star forward Arda Guler, who is a true-blue Turk born on the outskirts of Ankara.

He became the youngest player to score on his debut at a Euro at 19 years and 114 days, beating Ronaldo’s record with a stunning long-range strike in the win against Georgia.

“Arda Guler scores nice goals. His goals don’t surprise me as we also played together at club level,” added Kadioglu of his former Fenerbahce teammate.

Guler was not even born when 19-year-old Ronaldo scored against Greece at Euro 2004.

He was a two-year-old baby when one of the men who will be in charge of marking him, Portugal’s 41-year-old centre-back Pepe, signed with his current club Real in 2007.

The Turkey v Portugal match will be a clash of generations and expectations, with the Turks trying to shock a talented Portuguese side who need a statement win to help them shake off the underachiever tag in recent years.

“No game is won easily. We’re expecting a completely different game. Turkey have better players (than the Czechs). But if we can impose our game... it could go even better (than the first match) as Turkey aren’t used to defending in a low block,” warned Portugal forward Diogo Jota.

“If that happens, we can try to come away with the three points and qualification.”

Before that, Georgia and the Czech Republic will take on each other aware that another defeat will complicate their chances of reaching the knockout stage.

Georgia sit at the bottom of Group F on goal difference but coach Willy Sagnol can take heart that his side, who are appearing in a major men’s tournament for the first time as an independent nation, will learn from the loss to Turkey.

When asked what was missing in that defeat, the Frenchman and former Bayern Munich defender said: “A bit of talent, a bit of experience – the sort of things we’re only going to gain through being in tournaments like this.

“The more we play games like this the better we will be.”

The Czechs will look to play with more ambition with Lukas Provod – who scored against Portugal – saying the team showed they can operate as a cohesive unit but will need to push forward more to find success. REUTERS