After a boring affair at Dusseldorf, the game burst into life in Berlin. It was expected as the kind of thrilling football Turkey played in this tournament, a blockbuster was always on the cards.
Samet Akaydin had given Turkey a first-half lead - and - for a long period it seemed that might see them to victory in front of their president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was watching amid the controversy that followed Merih Demiral’s high-profile suspension.
Erdogan arrived at the stadium 25 minutes before kick-off, accompanied by his wife, Emine, and it was a significant moment in an occasion whose buildup had overflowed with bad blood. Demiral’s ban for making a “wolf” gesture associated with an extremist nationalist group during the win over Austria had sparked a diplomatic incident, the Turkish and German governments summoning each other’s ambassadors after the latter’s interior minister, Nancy Faeser, had publicly condemned the sign
The Turkish fans came in huge numbers to back their side and the build-up started long before the kick-off. Orange was overtaken by sea of red. Flags with crescent flew high. The Turkish felt at home in Berlin.
Akaydin was chosen in Demiral’s centre-back position, one of three suspension-enforced changes, and his defence was exposed within a minute.
Memphis Depay did much of the hard work when shimmying inside but his finish was wayward and it signalled an open start. The Dutch were working the ball forward sharply and Depay was soon served again, his shot on the turn blocked.
Both teams were finding space in midfield, the return of Turkey’s captain, Hakan Calhanoglu, helping them to construct.
His partner in the engine room, Salih Ozcan, blasted over from range but The Dutch threat was, for all the ear-splitting whistles whenever they attacked, more consistent in the opening quarter. Xavi Simons shot off target and, after Cody Gakpo had glided 50 yards, Abdulkerim Bardakci intervened to snuff out the danger.
At that point, Turkey's main preoccupation was that they could not sustain possession for any significant spell. But they gradually established a foothold and, when it came, Akaydin’s goal was not a complete surprise.
Bardakci had scooped a Calhanoglu free-kick over the bar and Virgil van Dijk had prevented a chance for Baris Alper Yilmaz with some masterful positioning. They won a string of corners and, from the fourth, earned their reward.
Ronald Koeman looked to his substitutes and found a man adept at demolishing those, replacing Steven Bergwijn with Wout Weghorst for the second half.
The Dutch held their breath when Nathan Ake bundled a breaking Guler over.
Had De Vrij not been nearby, De Vrij would surely have been dismissed.
Guler looked to dish out punishment regardless, bending an extraordinary low free-kick off Verbruggen’s left upright. His assist had been right-footed; this flourish had come from the other.
Van Dijk was next in the book for barging Yilmaz, who had beaten him for speed, on the right touchline. They would have been out of hope if Weghorst, from a position on the floor, had not nicked the ball away from Kaan Ayhan after Verbruggen spilt a Kenan Yildiz drive.
Instead, they were filled with it after Weghorst pulled away at the far post and Mert Gunok tipped his scuffed volley wide. The resulting corner was played back to Depay and De Vrij, unmarked near the penalty spot, leapt to convert emphatically.
Six minutes later, Denzel Dumfries had channelled that momentum and had space on the right to slide a teasing centre along the ground. It curved across the goal before a combination of Gakpo and the Turkey right-back Mert Muldur, throwing themselves at the ball, sent it flashing past Gunok.
Turkey had been full of aggression and purpose but looked deflated. They roused themselves and De Vrij, blocking near the line from Zeki Celik, averted extra time.
It will be interesting to see whether England can escape again.
The Dutch are picking up when it matters.
Note: Excerpts from The Guardian
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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