No shame in loss

Pride remains intact despite sadness

OMER F. OZEN

Early in the morning, the Turkish coffee shop was getting crowded. Expectations were high, but it was, after all, a must-win situation for Turkish fans.

Before the game, fan Huseyin Bakirci said: "We are confident if we beat Brazil, since we are not afraid of the Germans."

His friend, Hasan Eroglu, shared the thought and added: "We desired and hoped for this for a long time. At this stage, we are here to win at all costs. Actually, today everything is in the referee's hands, as everybody knows that in the group match, Brazil won the game by a controversial penalty kick.

"Besides, Rivaldo's fake injury at the end of the game has been criticized by media around the world."

The crowd was pleased with their team's performance at the beginning of the game.

Turks can hold heads high

Their confidence increased because Turkey was playing well offensively and goalkeeper Rustu was like a panther protecting his cage.

Despite previous performances, the team's most heralded player, Hakan Sukur, wasn't contributing much, but the crowd was still cheering him.

At halftime, when it was 0-0, Turkish fans were optimistic about victory.

At the start of the second half, emotions were high and people were glued to the TV, wishing for just one thing: a goal!

The wish was granted, but it wasn't a Turkish goal. In the 49th minute, on a mistake by the Turkish defence, Ronaldo scored. There was total silence. Everyone mourned.

After the goal, every time Turkey attacked, the crowd was on its feet, screaming support.

When the "Golden Boy" - nicknamed that after scoring a goal in sudden death against Senegal - Ilhan Mansiz came on, everybody was expecting the same success. But despite his efforts, the equalizer wasn't there.

With the final whistle, Brazilian joy was unconfined, while the Turkish side was surrounded by sadness.

Ziya Sengul, an old star from Istanbul's Fenerbahce club, said in a Turkish TV interview: "Turkey played an excellent game and there is no shame losing against Brazil after a hard-fought match."

Post-game, two sisters waiting at the bus stop remarked that "we wanted them to win so much that we even took the day off work to be able to raise our flag and parade. However, they've played exceptionally well and we believe we'll be even stronger the next time."

In other words, yes, Turkey lost against Brazil, but our pride is intact.

It was one of those rare occasions when sadness informs joy!

Thursday, June 27, 2002
Montreal Gazette