Turkey Lost to the Netherlands in the Presence of Erdogan and Was Eliminated

The Dutch national football team secured a 2-1 victory over Turkey, reaching the semifinals of the European Championship for the first time in 20 years. With the Dutch victory, the semifinal matchups were finalized: Spain will face France in Munich, while the Netherlands will take on England in Dortmund. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, along with the First Lady of Turkey, was among the 70,000 spectators watching the match in Berlin. In the 35th minute, Samet Akaydin, a defender from Fenerbahçe, scored for Turkey following a pass from Arda Güler, continuing the tradition of Turkish defenders scoring, even in the absence of Demiral. The Netherlands adopted a more aggressive approach in the second half. Despite missing Merih Demiral due to a suspension from a politically charged goal celebration, Turkey held out against the Orange Tulips for 70 minutes. Eventually, the Netherlands' sustained attacks paid off, and the ball crossed the goal line past Mert Günok. Stefan de Vrij, a 32-year-old defender from Inter Milan, equalized with a powerful header from a Memphis Depay cross. Six minutes later, Denzel Dumfries, also from Inter, forced Mert Müldür to score an own goal, marking another goal in the tournament. The thrilling match continued with a wave of Turkish assaults, but efforts from Kadioglu and Arda Güler yielded no results. Virgil van Dijk, the tough Dutch defender, and Bart Verbruggen, the youngest goalkeeper in the tournament, prevented any changes to the score. Prior to this match, England advanced to the semifinals of Euro 2024 after winning in a penalty shootout. England faced Switzerland in the quarterfinals at the Düsseldorf stadium, which ended in a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes. Breel Embolo from Monaco scored in the 74th minute, but Bukayo Saka equalized six minutes later. The match went to penalties, where all five English shots were successful. However, the first Swiss shot by Manuel Akanji from Manchester City was saved by Pickford. Cole Palmer, Saka, Ivan Toney, Jude Bellingham, and finally Trent Alexander-Arnold scored their penalties. Saka, who had missed a penalty against Italy in the Euro final three years ago, saved his team during the match and converted his penalty with confidence. The deserving Swiss team, which eliminated the defending champion Italy in the round of 16, was also eliminated, allowing England to reach the semifinals once again, just like the previous tournament.