The 25-year-old Fenerbahce defender grew up in Austria and was trained as a footballer at Rapid, but has played for Turkey since the U17 team. “When the senior team asks, you can’t say no,” Müldür explained at the press conference on Monday. Now the right-back wants to reach the quarter-finals with the Turks.
For the first time since 2008, Turkey is back in the knockout phase of a major finals and hopes to take revenge for the defeat in March. After two wins against Georgia (3:1) and the Czech Republic (2:1), the team of Italian Vincenzo Montella, like Austria, reached the round of 16 with six points, but in second place behind Portugal, to whom they were clearly defeated 0:3.
“In the end it was shameful”
The Turks were clearly defeated in Vienna in March. “In the end, it was shameful,” recalled Montella. “I can’t remember losing by such a large margin as a player or coach,” stressed the Italian, who, like his counterpart Ralf Rangnick, did not want to overestimate the game. “It was even before and could have gone in a different direction.” The coach called for thoughts of revenge to be put aside, “we must not let our emotions get the better of us, we must know what we are doing.”
Reuters/Annegret Hilse Montella prepares his team for the round of 16 against Austria
It remains to be seen whether his players will comply with the request. “We have not forgotten that. To be honest, it is a wound in me,” said Dortmund legionnaire Salih Özcan. The Turkish game also thrives on emotions and the atmosphere of the fans, who are expected in large numbers in Leipzig. “Many friends from Vienna and Austria have called me and will be in the stadium. Hopefully we will have a lot of support again,” reported Müldür on Monday evening.
ÖFB team does not want to go “crazy”
The Austrians have been warned. “We are also a team that is quite aggressive. We will also try to bring emotions into the game – controlled emotions,” explained Christoph Baumgartner. “If we manage that, we don’t have to worry too much about the game slipping out of our hands because we somehow go crazy or are completely insane.”
debate
How far will Austria get in the European Championship?
His Leipzig club colleague Nicolas Seiwald, who like Baumgartner is hoping for support from his adopted German homeland, also stressed: “Of course, your pulse is racing in a game like this. It will be intense, but you still have to be clear-headed so that you can make the right decisions.”
Montella: “Austria like a club”
In any case, the Turks continue to show great respect for the ÖFB team. “They have such good automatisms, are so well-rehearsed that Austria looks like a club and not a national team,” explained former striker Montella, who as a player was called “a small airplane” because of his outstretched arms when he celebrated.
“They are a complete team, perhaps the best team as a unit,” praised Montella, who believes in his team. “We can definitely make it to the quarter-finals.” Montella will have to do without the suspended Samet Akaydin and Hakan Calhanoglu for the match against Austria. “We have two important players missing, one of them is our captain,” said the former striker, referring to director Calhanoglu. “But others will come in and do their job.”
The ongoing topic of Güler also causes emotions
The Turkish public expects this from the two 19-year-old young stars Arda Güler from Real Madrid and Kenan Yildiz from Juventus Turin, who do not always play under Montella. That is why he has to listen to criticism again and again, even during the course of the tournament.
Reuters/Annegret Hilse Real Madrid legionnaire Arda Güler is the Turks’ great hope
Team manager Hamit Altintop spoke of reports that were “below the belt”. They had achieved a major goal by reaching the round of 16, and now they wanted to eliminate Austria. “We have the strength, character and quality to do that,” stressed Altintop, who used to play in Germany.
Special game for Müldür
Meanwhile, Müldür, who moved to Fenerbahce in Turkey via Rapid and Sassuolo and would have been eligible to play for the ÖFB, is looking forward to a “very special game”. “I grew up in Austria and learned to play football there, so of course you have a certain connection to Austria,” said Müldür, who scored a dream goal from distance against Georgia in the opening match.
Müldür has now played 26 international matches for Turkey. He was runner-up with Fenerbahce, and the former central defender is now a regular on the right wing of the national team. A broken ankle cost Müldür almost the entire 2022/23 season before his move to Fenerbahce. Now he is in the round of 16 for the first time at his second European Championship.
