Euro 2016

[monks data]

European Championship | Qualifiers

Mar 28, 2015 at 7.45pm UK

Netherlands
1-1
Turkey

Sneijder (92')

FT(HT: 0-1)

Yilmaz (37')

Netherlands snatch late draw against Turkey

By Giuseppe Labellarte, Reporter | 28 March 2015

An injury-time strike from Klaas Jan Huntelaar gives the Netherlands a 1-1 draw against Turkey in their Euro 2016 Group A qualifier at the Amsterdam ArenA.

Netherlands needed an injury-time strike from Klaas Jan Huntelaar to snatch a 1-1 draw against Turkey in this evening's Euro 2016 Group A qualifier at the Amsterdam ArenaA.

The hosts were quickest out of the starting blocks and threatened nine minutes in as Memphis Depay surged into the area and fired towards the far post, but Volkan Babacan was able to dive across and get a hand to the ball.

Depay continued to impress as he played a one-two with Wesley Sneijder before lashing towards goal from 25 yards out. The Turkey goalkeeper, however, was again on hand to prevent further danger as Huntelaar looked to pounce on the rebound.

The World Cup 2002 third-placed side would pick themselves up and push forward, with Caner Erkin skipping past Gregory van der Wiel down the left and delivering a cross for the unmarked Burak Yilmaz in the box.

Bruno Martins Indi was on hand to block the subsequent shot just in front of the line, appearing to do so with his shoulder, but nothing was given by the referee.

Turkey continued to threaten and were rewarded in the 37th minute when Volkan Sen's cutback in the Netherlands box fell to Yilmaz, whose deflected shot from 12 yards left Jasper Cillessen stranded.

The hosts missed a gilt-edged chance to bring themselves level shortly after the restart as Sneijder played a pinpoint cross towards Huntelaar in the box.

Babacan rushed off his line to thwart the Oranje striker before the ball fell for Luciano Narsingh, but, despite the goalkeeper being out of position, he scuffed his shot and failed to hit the target.

The Netherlands improved as the game went on, with Ibrahim Afellay forcing an acrobatic save from Babacan on the hour and Sneijder's free kick missing by inches in the 71st minute.

Turkey soon found themselves under siege as Guus Hiddink's charges desperately pushed for an equaliser, and Jetro Willems found himself with the ball at his feet in front of a gaping goal, but he lifted his shot high above the bar.

Just as it seemed as though the visitors would be able to hold on for a historic win, their hearts were broken in second-half injury time when Sneijder's shot towards goal ricocheted off the head of Huntelaar and wrong-footed the keeper on its way into the back of the net.