Those were the days: UEFA cup in Lion's jaws
Güncelleme Tarihi:
The UEFA Cup is usually remembered in this part of the world for one particular victory in 2000; the year Galatasaray clinched the trophy and became the first Turkish football club to win a European competition.
The Lions beat English giant Arsenal 4-1 on penalties after a goalless game on May 17, 2000. Fatih Terim’s boys were the underdogs for the game against Arsenal, but cruised to victory in a tense game at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, despite a red card shown to star player Gheorghe Hagi just at the beginning of extra time and captain Bülent Korkmaz forced to play through injury.
Soon after, Europe would treat the team as a wholesale market: Most of the winning squad, including coach Fatih Terim moved to top clubs, so the team would play with a quite different squad that would win the Super Cup against Real Madrid four months later.
Nine years on, no other Turkish team has come close to winning a Euro trophy, but hints of Galatasaray’s legacy could be seen in Turkey’s third-place in the World Cup 2002.