Turkey's standard bearers

By Türker Tozar

A 1-0 victory in Italy was impressive enough, but when Gençlerbirligi SK took full advantage of the dismissal of Parma AC goalkeeper Sébastien Frey to win 3-0 in the return leg of their UEFA Cup third-round tie in Ankara, the Turkish side really gave Europe something to talk about.

Standard bearers
Ersun Yanal's team are now Turkey's only survivors in UEFA club competition, with the traditional giants, Galatasaray SK and Besiktas JK, having bowed out of the UEFA Cup this week, and the third of Istanbul's big three, Fenerbahçe SK, failing to qualify for Europe this season.

Double happiness
For the 42-year-old coach, his side's win against a team lying in fifth place in Serie A was doubly satisfying. "Our win made me happy in two respects," he said. "First, my players' performance - we totally controlled the game and left no room for them to create chances.

Anatolian pride
"Second, this achievement was made by an Anatolian club," he added, using the Turkish term for any club outside Istanbul's big three. "The success of Anatolian clubs is extremely important for the development of Turkish football. We will continue on our way, carrying that responsibility."

Great scalps
So far, it is a burden that the side who finished third in last season's Turkish Superleague have borne with considerable style. They knocked out England's Blackburn Rovers FC in the UEFA Cup first round, then disposed of Sporting Clube de Portugal in round two, before beating Parma.

Spanish dream
Club president Ilhan Cavcav said his team had become a source of pride for everybody in Turkey. "We achieved this victory with the help of our great fans, who supported us within the spirit of fair play," he said. "We have eliminated outfits from Portugal, England and Italy. Now it's the turn of the Spanish. We would like to eliminate a side from Spain."

Fighting chance
His dream may yet come true. Gençlerbirligi have been drawn against Valencia CF in round four, and star striker Mustafa Özkan certainly has faith in his side's abilities. "We have not lost any of our six UEFA Cup matches," he said. "We will continue to fight till the end. We may even get through the final."

No fear
Having won last season's Turkish Cup, Gençlerbirligi have continued to thrive under Yanal's influence. A neat amalgam of talented individuals and reliable utility players, they have shown they have no fear of hard work and no shortage of skill.

Organising pivot
Australian Josip Skoko is their organising pivot in midfield, while Serkan Balci's awesome commitment and stamina in the middle of the pitch earned him his first Turkish cap last month. Meanwhile, right-back Ali Tandogan - who has scored two UEFA Cup goals this term, is a marvellous crosser of the ball.

Defensive strength
Up front, Guinean striker Souleymane Youla and Veysel Cihan have proved a potent force with two goals apiece in the tournament so far, while the defensive trio of captain Ümit Bozkurt, Turkish international Deniz Baris and Egyptian international Abdelzaher El Saka have been impressive, with Gençlerbirligi conceding just three goals in the UEFA Cup.

Meteoric rise
All of which is a stunning achievement for a club few in Europe had heard of at the start of the season - and whose name even fewer can pronounce (in English it sounds something like 'Gench-ler-beer-ly', which roughly translates as 'Youth Club'). Hard to say, maybe, and even harder to beat.