Football fans have been putting the boot in after Turkey finished a woeful Euro 2020 campaign with defeat against Switzerland in Baku – making yet more of a mockery of their status as pre-tournament dark horses.
With Senol Gunes back at the helm and the likes of Burak Yilmaz rolling back the years alongside some hotly-tipped younger talent, hopes had been riding high that the Turks could be an outside bet this summer.
But to say they barely got out of the traps would be an understatement.
Battered by Italy 3-0 in Rome in the opening game of the tournament, Turkey followed that with a 2-0 defeat to Wales in Baku – a venue many felt would be like a home from home for them due to the ties between the two nations.
And on Sunday night in the Azeri capital it was the same story as this time the Swiss rolled Turkey over.
Haris Seferovic opened the scoring for Switzerland after just six minutes when he swiveled and fired home from the edge of the box, and 20 minutes later the lead was doubled through another superb finish as Xherdan Shaqiri curled the ball beyond Ugurcan Cakir.
2-0 Switzerland. Beautiful goal from Shaqiri. Turkey are awful. pic.twitter.com/Rq7h1Bxqy6
— ???????????? ???????????????? ???? (@TheEuropeanLad) June 20, 2021
Turkey looked cooked by half-time but at least managed to save some face by not going the entirety of the tournament goalless.
They finally troubled the scoreboard in the 62nd minute when Irfan Kahveci curled a delicious left-footed strike into the top corner. Unsurprisingly, any celebration among the players was hard to discern.
But Turkey’s dodgy defence duly obliged again soon after as Shaqiri burst onto a ball from the left and swept home to restore a two-goal cushion.
7 - Xherdan Shaqiri is now Switzerland's outright top goalscorer at major tournaments (World Cup + Euros), with his second goal today his seventh for his country. Sharpshooter. #EURO2020. https://t.co/GQBiFTOd77
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 20, 2021
There was time for Switzerland skipper Granit Xhaka to strike the post from a free-kick as Turkey’s humbling was almost compounded.
The result finished 3-1 as the Turk crashed out bottom of Group A without a single point.
“Turkey hands down putting in one of the worst displays at a Euro that I can remember. Absolutely horrendous from start to finish for them,” tweeted football writer Andrew Thompson.
“One of my goals in life is to become as highly rated as Turkey were before they actually had to play some football in this tournament,” wrote Athletic reporter Liam Twomey.
Turkey hands down putting in one of the worst displays at a Euro that I can remember. Absolutely horrendous from start to finish for them. #SUITUR
— Andrew Thompson (@Logiklehrer) June 20, 2021
One of my goals in life is to become as highly rated as Turkey were before they actually had to play some football in this tournament
— Liam Twomey (@liam_twomey) June 20, 2021
Elsewhere, the puns and jokes were out in full force, while one troll account summed things up by saying: “Turkey came to the Euros to lie us."
Switzerland are destroying a team that have gone "cold Turkey" pic.twitter.com/xh7lMMG2Zb
— Has the Referee or VAR made a poor decision? (@PoorEPLreferees) June 20, 2021
???????? pic.twitter.com/o3aLRhNJtU
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) June 20, 2021
Turkey the surprise of the EURO’s highlights pic.twitter.com/VVgoaU0p3n
— Kevin (@BrazilianDest) June 20, 2021
Turkey came to the euros to lie us.
— Ole Gunnar Scamskjær (@Nigerianscamsss) June 20, 2021
Despite picking up their first win of the tournament, the Swiss finished third in the group, level on four points with Wales but behind on goal difference.
The impressive Italians made it three wins from three with a 1-0 win over the Welsh in Rome on Sunday, and qualified automatically for the last 16 alongside Wales as the top two in the group.
The Swiss will be forced to wait and see if their points and goal haul is enough for them to sneak into the knockout stages as one of the four best third-placed teams.
Turkey, meanwhile, are on a direct flight home.
Everyone who had Turkey as their dark horses for #Euro2020 right now pic.twitter.com/70FTZryVrT
— ODDSbible (@ODDSbible) June 20, 2021
