Goalscorer Burak Yilmaz felt Turkey finally showed their true selves as they revived their Euro 2016 campaign with a vital victory over the Czech Republic.
Yilmaz and Ozan Tufan struck as Turkey prevailed 2-0 in their final Group D game in Lens, a win which gave them hope of reaching the last 16. A 1-0 victory would not have been sufficient.
Turkey will still have to wait on other results to see if they will finish as one of the best third-placed teams but, after defeats to Croatia and Spain, Yilmaz was pleased to deliver.
Yilmaz, who plays his domestic football in China with Beijing Guoan, said at the post-match press conference: "Today was our last chance. It wasn't enough just to win, but to win by two clear goals. We were very aware of that.
"Everything went just like we wanted. We hoped to score a goal early on so that our opponents would have to go forward, leaving space at the back so that we would have the chance to score a second. Luckily, the result went the way we wanted.
"We're very happy. Many things were written and said about us. We're the players but we are not asked about our thoughts and feelings. People comment on us without knowing what's going on in the squad.
"Today people saw the Turkish national team they have been missing. Now I think we're back in the competition. If everything goes as we hope, we'll qualify."
Czech midfielder Vladimir Darida could not hide his disappointment after his side were eliminated.
Darida said: "I feel very down about it all. Nobody wanted to go home after three matches.
"We knew Turkey needed to win and we were hoping the game would get more open and we would have more chances.
"But we conceded the goal and we tried catching up. We had some good attempts, but we did not manage to score, and that decided the match. The second half was the same as the first. The goal ruins it all."
Coach Pavel Vrba looked for positives.
He said: "I'm very happy to have qualified for the tournament. For some players, this could be something to learn from ahead of the upcoming (World Cup) qualifiers."
Source: PA
