Belgium undone by Wilde mess

Belgium undone by Wilde mess
Stefano Blin

Brussels, June 19: Euro 2000 co-hosts Belgium crashed out of the competition here on Monday after going down 2-0 to rivals Turkey at the King Baudouin Stadium in their final Group B clash.

Belgium had needed only a draw to join group winners Italy in the last eight but were floored by Inter Milan-bound Hakan Sukur who grabbed both goals. That means Mustafa Denizli's men finish runners-up to Group B winners Italy and will face Portugal in the quarter-finals.

Sukur gave the Turks the lead on the stroke of half time and Belgian goalkeeper Filip de Wilde, who made a horrendous blunder in the opening game of the tournament against Sweden, was again to blame. De Wilde and Lorenzo Staelens hesitated when a high ball was lofted into the penalty area and Sukur intervened to head home a soft goal as De Wilde failed to get a fist to the ball.

That sparked wild celebrations from the thousands of Turkish fans congregated behind the goal. And, Belgium were left reeling after 70 minutes when the Turks broke away catching the Red Devils defence cold. Suat Kaya raced on to an Arif Erdem pass and set up Sukur, dubbed The Bull of the Bosphorus, who blasted the ball past De Wilde into the roof of the net. It was textbook finishing from the Galatasaray forward who will sign his contract with Inter after the tournament. To add insult to injury De Wilde, who has had a dismal Euro 2000, was sent off in the closing minutes for a wild challenge on Arif Erdem outside the box which saw the Turkish forward stretchered off the field.

Turkish expectations for Euro 2000 had been high with the victory of Galatasaray in the UEFA Cup last month but they had taken only one point from two matches in the tournament until Monday. Denizli had been much criticised by many in Turkey during this tournament but this is unchartered territory now for Turkish football.

``Now we are playing in the quarter-finals against Portugal who have been the best team in this tournament so far and we must see what we can put right.''

Sukur, who has agreed to join Inter Milan from Galatasaray after the tournament, was the architect of the victory with two pieces of predatory finishing.

The first came in injury time at the end of the first period with De Wilde being the culprit.

Turkey punted an aimless looking ball into the Belgianarea but Red Devils skipper Lorenzo Staelens and De Wilde hesitated.

Sukur was decisive, however, and nipped in ahead of the goalkeeper and watched his header cross the line to give Turkey an interval lead.

It was an awful clanger from De Wilde who also presented Sweden's Johan Mjallby with a goal on a plate in the tournament's opening match with an even more spectacular bungle.

Suat Kaya sprung the Belgian offside trap and squared the ball to Sukur whose close-range shot soared into the roof of the net.

The goal was greeted by silence from the Belgian fans but jubilation by a sizeable Turkish contingent in the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels.

Another rush of blood from De Wilde also proved costly to the Belgians when a rash sortie from his box allowed Arif Erdem to get round him with De Wilde crudely fouling the player.

A red card from Austrian referee Gunter Benko, who had replaced injured Dane Kim Milton Nielsen, was inevitable and Eric Deflandre took over in the Belgian goal.

Disappointed Belgium coach Robert Waseige lamented: ``It's a pity but the results show we weren't able to qualify. However, we played some good football and we were a little unlucky but you have to accept it as the results show. It's difficult to take though.

``My feelings were positive in the early stages and thought that we could win.

``Four players weren't 100 percent fit but we needed a nearly goal and then conceded a silly goal in injury time (in the first half).

``One man could have been our hero tonight but (Emile) Mpenza missed the chances and De Wilde made a silly error.'' (AFP)