OSAKA, Japan, 24 June — Turkey coach Senol Gunes insists vengeance will not be on the agenda when his side meet Brazil in the World Cup semifinals on Wednesday, a replay of the two teams’ bad-tempered first round clash.
Turkey had two players sent off and were sent crashing to a 2-1 defeat in their opening Group C match after a dubious penalty was awarded to the Brazilians late in the game.
The match also ended on a sour note when Brazil’s Rivaldo overreacted after Turkish player Hakan Unsal kicked a ball at the Barcelona star, helping to ensure Hakan’s dismissal.
Now Brazil and Turkey will meet again in Saitama on Wednesday — and Gunes is anxious to quell any bad blood that his side may take into the game.
“We’re not thinking about revenge, only about football,” Gunes said following his team’s 1-0 extra-time victory over Senegal in the quarterfinals here Saturday.
“Football is a game, and a game should never be about revenge. It’s not a word I like when you’re talking about sport.
“Of course we were unhappy in the first match. We didn’t deserve to lose, and I didn’t like what Rivaldo did. But the referee in that game was maybe inexperienced and made a mistake.
“Hopefully we won’t have the same problem again,” Gunes added.
Midfielder Umit Davala also said the Turks would not be distracted by thoughts about retribution.
“What happened in the first match is forgotten now, it’s ancient history,” the Inter Milan player said. “We’ve got a World Cup semifinal against Brazil to play in and all we are thinking about is how to beat them.”
Gunes said there was no chance of Turkey targeting Rivaldo for a rough ride following his theatrics in the first round.
“We would be mistaken if we tried to concentrate on Rivaldo, what ever the reason. Brazil have got so many great players that if we tried to put two men on Rivaldo it would just create space for the rest of them,” he said.
Gunes, who has survived as Turkey coach despite criticism that he has been unable to earn the respect of big name players in the squad, believes his team can score a massive upset on Wednesday by defeating the favorites.
Turkey caused serious problems for Brazil in their opening game and took the lead before eventually losing.
“Everybody said how weak Group C was before the finals. I think the fact that two teams from that group are now in the semifinals speaks for itself,” said Gunes, whose side drew with Costa Rica and beat China in their other first phase matches.
“A lot of big teams are out, and I think Brazil will know that. Brazil have played some good football in this tournament so far and have been the best team.
“But we are getting better with every match. We did not deserve to lose the first game.”
Davala also said the Turks would not be fearful going into the game. “Why can’t we beat Brazil? We know that they didn’t like playing against us and the pressure is going to be on them, not Turkey,” he said.
Turks eager for Brazil
rematch in semifinal
Some teams just dream of playing Brazil in the World Cup but Turkey now get to face them twice in the same tournament and can’t wait for the rematch.
In these astounding finals, the Turks shook the four-time winners in their opening group game and their defeat of debutants Senegal on Saturday has earned them a semifinal return.
Turkey were livid when they lost 2-1 to the Brazilians after a dubious penalty decision, two red cards and some controversial gamesmanship by Rivaldo in their Group C matchup.
The South Americans had bombarded goalkeeper Rustu Recber with shots, but he kept them out and Turkey complained loudly that the referee had denied them the point they had earned.
Turkey coach Senol Gunes thinks that four matches later his side have matured into a unit that can stretch Brazil further.
“Brazil have improved but we are on the up, we are on a rising trend, we grow better by the day,” he told reporters after a display of controlled passing and skill by his midfielders had helped Turkey beat Senegal 1-0 with a golden goal.
“Our footballers have done what they do — spectacular things. We can go on writing the future,” he said.
His players, having made history with a place in the last four for the first time in Turkey’s second World Cup appearance seem even more confident than the coach.
“We have no fear of Brazil. It’s just the name that’s big. Brazil have won the World Cup four times but we’re not afraid of them or any team,” said Umit Davala. “Brazil have to fear us.”
Brazil coach Luis Filipe Scolari said he had sleepless nights worrying about Turkey before their last match, particularly striker Hakan Sukur.
