Türkiye wins Amputee Football World Cup
Türkiye has won its first ever Amputee Football World Cup after defeating Angola 4-1 in a final match in Istanbul.
After the first half ended 1-1, with Ömer Güleryüz scoring Türkiye's goal, Rahmi Özcan netted from the penalty spot and then scored the third, taking full control over the match.
Serkan Dereli added the finishing touch, while Angola's goal came from Heno Adao.
Meanwhile, Uzbekistan defeated Haiti 4-2 in the third-place game.
Türkiye defeated France 3-0 and Liberia 5-0 in the group matches of the world cup. Drawn 1-1 with Haiti, the team beat Morocco 4-1 in the quarterfinals.
Then, against Uzbekistan, the country's team made it to the finals with a score of 1-0.
Türkiye was the runner up in 2018's world cup as it lost to Angola 5-4 in the final's penalty shootouts.
Finishing third in the world cup in 2007, in which the country participated for the first time, Türkiye held the same rank in 2010, 2012 and 2014.
The team achieved a great success by winning the European Championship twice in a row in 2017 and 2021, after ranking second both in 2004 and 2008.
"I worked hard and struggled a lot," said Bülent Çetin, the team's goalkeeper. "It was my biggest dream to crown it with the world cup."
Stating that he had a congenital polio, which caused him to lose a part of his leg, Fuat Taştan, another player from the squad, said, "I realized that my physical condition was not actually an obstacle, and football was an opportunity for me to express myself."
Another player from the team, Muhammet Yeğen, encouraged young amputees to never give up on their dreams "even if they face adversity."
"I've been playing football for about 14 years. I represented my country abroad many...
- Log in to post comments