UEFA.com
Turkey wrap up a triumph for Terim
Sunday 7 September 2008
by Türker Tozar from Istanbul
Fatih Terim received a late 55th birthday gift from his players on
Saturday as Turkey won 2-0 in their opening FIFA World Cup qualifier
against Armenia, explaining: "My players gave me a watch but that win
was the real present for me."
Satisfying outcome
The UEFA EURO 2008=99 semi-finalists kicked off Group 5 with a
morale-boosting win in Yerevan, with Tuncay Sanlý and Þemih Sentürk
scoring to give coach Terim a nice bonus gift following his 55th
birthday celebrations on Thursday. "We carried on from where we left
off at the EURO," he said. "It was my birthday on 4 September and my
players gave me a watch but that win was the real present for me. We
had eight clear scoring chances and did not give Armenia one
opportunity."
Combative opponents
Terim had done his homework before the game, saying: "I watched six
Armenia matches on video. I always take our opponents seriously. We
guessed ten of their starting XI correctly. We analysed them a lot and
it was an enjoyable win in the end." He added: "We’re happy to have
won against a side who never surrender easily. Opening games in
qualifying campaigns are always hard and it is not easy to start a new
challenge following the EURO."
From: Baghdasarian