Tuncay wins it for Turkey

Turkey came from a goal behind to defeat the United States 2-1 and get their FIFA Confederations Cup campaign off to a winning start.

Tuncay wins it
The 21-year-old striker Tuncay Sanli was the hero for the Turkish team in Saint-Etienne with the winning goal in the 73rd minute of their Group B encounter. DaMarcus Beasley had given the US the lead in the 37th minute only for Okan Yilmaz to equalise from the penalty spot three minutes later.

Howard on form
It was a youthful Turkish side that dominated at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. US goalkeeper Tim Howard did well to deny Okan an early chance when put clean through before Ahmet Yildirim hit the crossbar with a 20-metre free-kick. Later in the first half, Howard, who has reportedly attracted the interest of Manchester United FC, did well to deny Tuncay when he too looked certain to score.

Headed opener
However, the US took the initiative when Landon Donovan escaped down the left and the unmarked Beasley had no difficulty in heading his side in front. Turkey responded by going straight up the other end and winning a penalty when Tuncay went down after a challenge. Okan made no mistake from the spot, firing low into the left-hand corner.

Mathis denied
Turkey kept up the pressure in the second half, and it was no surprise when Fenerbahçe SK forward Tuncay collected a neat through-ball from Volkan Arslan, expertly rounded Howard and steered his shot into an empty net. Clint Mathis nearly equalised for the US in the 80th minute, only for his shot to be cleared off the line.

Chances spurned
Turkey coach Senol Günes was pleased to win but felt it should have been a more comfortable match. "In my opinion we should have won this game by a bigger margin than 2-1," he said. "We missed a number of chances during the first half. Had we taken one or two of them, the second half would have been totally different."

Eto'o winner
The day's other Group B match in Paris saw a brilliant late goal by RCD Mallorca striker Samuel Eto'o earn Cameroon a deserved 1-0 victory over world champions Brazil. With seven minutes to play, Eto'o unleashed a first-time, 20-metre shot after defender Lucio misjudged a long ball to seal a game in which Brazil were without Rivaldo, Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos.