Kissing the head of Van Buyten

Ridvan Dilmen is not only one of the greatest footballers in Turkish history; he is also one of the only pundits who actually knows anything about football.

It is for that precise reason that when he says something, it usually comes back to prove him right. When Vincent Kompany received a yellow card for a dangerous tackle, Dilmen, commentating for NTV, stated (in his most sportsman like way) that the players should play on the Belgian in order to get him sent off.

Whether or not the players were also aware of the defenders lack of discipline remains to be seen, however come the 64th minute Kompany had seen red and Dilmen was probably applauding himself in the commentary box.

SemihâÂÂs goal shortly after looked to have completed the come-back after Hamit Altintop had cancelled out Van BuytenâÂÂs first half goal. But, as we all know, this is Turkey and anything is far from simple.

Onur Kivrak, making his home debut in goal, flapped at a lofted free-kick and Van Buyten was there to head the visitorsâ level again. The boos rang around, the heads shook and many felt the strong gust of déjà-vu that swept through the stadium.

Hiddink sat, calmly watching, as his team pressed for a winner. A lack of quality on the final ball was frustratingly evident until the Dutchman replaced Sabri with Gokhan Gonul.

The Fenerbahce right back is arguably the best defender in the league and proved exactly why when picking out Arda, whose shot deflected off Fellaini, and into the back of the net. Rejoice!

We have âÂÂbroken the devils leg!â (SabahâÂÂs headline). The blog was obviously not the only one watching this game with a large sense of pessimism.

Likewise, the general consensus in this morningâÂÂs press is one of relief. Dilmen has expressed a desire to âÂÂkiss the head of Van BuytenâÂÂ, citing the defenders first goal as the catalyst for a formation change at half time, hence a much improved performance in the second half.

Erman Toroglu of Hurriyet has picked up on the obvious in saying that âÂÂdespite scoring three goals we still managed to concede twoâ while Turgay Seren of Aksam questions where âÂÂthe old Tuncay has goneâÂÂ. A statement the blog completely agrees with about a player who canâÂÂt even make it into the Stoke side and is still leading the national teamâÂÂs attack.

It must be said the football, at times, was very nice. Emre Belozoglu was the engine of the side and his ability rarely fails to shine through.

Likewise Arda Turan who, despite being fairly quiet at times, again created a number of chances before scoring the winner. It is further back that Hiddink should be worried about.

Onur Kivrak, the Trabzonspor goalkeeper making his home debut, was at fault for both goals and Servet proved everybody doubter right when failing to pick up Van Buyten for BelgiumâÂÂs first goal. While the players showed a lot of pride and belief, they will need to step up many levels for the trip to Berlin.

The Germans put six past Azerbaijan and Hiddink will need to stiffen up his defence to avoid a similar embarrassment in October. None the less, six points is six points and a perfect start towards qualifying for Euro 2012.

Quote of the week
Turkey defender Servet Cetin after their 3-2 victory over Belgium âÂÂIâÂÂm happy to say we didnâÂÂt give away and goal scoring chancesâÂÂ...Sure about that one Servet?

Goal of....the season!
I think this one is already in the bag. Hamit AltintopâÂÂs strike against Kazakhstan. See for yourself.

More from Turkish Delights ⢠TD on Twitter

FourFourTwo.com: More to read...
Turkey: News ⢠Stats
FFT.com: Features ⢠News ⢠Interviews ⢠Home
Interact: Twitter ⢠Facebook ⢠Forums