(A small disclaimer: The article that you are about to read is a translation from its Turkish original. It contains literary pieces like quotes from a famous Turkish poem, and as you might know it is really difficult to translate poems without them losing some of their original beauty. Therefore, if something sounds unnatural, please keep in mind that it probably lost some meaning in translation.)

                                                                  - Özgür R. Nazilli (ÖRN)

Bell, shawl and rose. The speed of the dance in this garden...

Thrice reddened is Andalucia in this evening of lust!

These are the first two lines of a famous poem by a well-known poet, Yahya Kemal Beyatli. The same lines sprung to minds after Fenerbahce's pushed Sevilla out of the Champions League, albeit with a small twist:

Pass, shoot and goal. The speed of the football on this field...

Thrice reddened is Andalucia in this evening of lust!

The Andalucian city of Sevilla was indeed crimson instead of the expected yellow and navy, but this wasn't because of Galatasaray's colors. The blazing color was coming from the Turkish flags conquering the Spanish city. A Turkish team, whose first eleven consisted 8 non-Turkish born players, was being called "Los Turcos", and the Spanish media was a witness to this.

Therefore this literary adaptation can be supported with a political anecdote:

Football is not a "National Struggle" (the author is referring to the Independence War Turkey waged in the early 20th century against the invaders who claimed parts of Turkey as their own after the Ottoman Empire lost in the First World War. Sorry for the history lesson. - ÖRN) and this fact was proven by a team, composed of both foreign and Turkish players, when each and every member did their very best to beat Sevilla in the Champions League first round. These players, regardless of their nationalities, made many a Turk extremely happy.

Edu, fearless, dived into every challenge and did his utmost to come out with the ball. Kezman, relentless, worked tirelessly everywhere on the pitch. These players were "Los Turcos" in the eyes of the Spanish media. When Fenerbahce roared on the pitch with Volkan, Gokhan, Selcuk and Ugur as well as Alex, Aurelio, Deivid and Vederson, problems  were forgotten in Turkey and celebrations extended from Cizre to İzmir. (Two cities on the opposite ends of Turkey - ÖRN)

If Ataturk were still alive today, he probably would have called President Aziz Yıldırım and said something similar to what he told İsmet İnonu (A Turkish Brigadier General, statesman, and the second President of the Turkish Republic - ÖRN) when his armies beat the Greek army during the Independence War:

"You did not only beat the opponent, but also the European misfortune of the club." (A play on Ataturk's original words: "You did not only beat the enemy (the Greeks), but also the misfortune of the Turkish people." - ÖRN)

We hope that Fenerbahce, just like the Turkish people during their struggle to build the Turkish Republic, will have a happy ending to their European conquest. As long as "Los Turcos" play this relentlessly and give everything they everything is possible.

Let us abandon the political metaphors and close up with another adaptation from Beyatli's poem:

To every glamorous pass, every mesmerizing shot,

Every goal that fills our heart,

From every corner we say: Olé!

Emre Kızılkaya's note: We of course recognize that the fans of Deportivo La Coruna are the real "Los Turcos" in Spain. We salute them, and wish them a successful La Liga run.