UEFA praises 'incredible' Turkish amputee footballers

By Nilay Kar Onum and Yunus Kaymaz

ISTANBUL (AA) - The performance of Turkey’s triumphant amputee footballers was described as “incredible” by UEFA on Tuesday.

“40,000 fans watch hosts Turkey beat England 2-1. Fantastic support for incredible athletes,” UEFA tweeted, including a photo of Turkish fans rejoicing with victory after Monday night’s win in Istanbul.

The match -- which saw the Turkish team crowned European champions -- was played at Besiktas’s Vodafone Park.

Some leading football websites also carried the victory on their pages.

“Turkey scored in injury time to win the Amputee European Championship,” ESPN FC tweeted.

“This is why we love the game,” it added.

San Francisco-based sports news site, Bleacher Report, highlighted photos of Turkish players celebrating after the victory.

“This is how it feels to win the Amputee European Championship,” it wrote, adding the Turkish flag and heart emoji just near the message.

Turkey led 1-0 at halftime thanks to a goal in the 25th minute by Omer Guleryuz.

Although the dominant display from the Turkish team continued until the final minute, England's Ray Westbrook still managed to tie the game in the 50th minute.

However, Turkish team captain Osman Cakmak scored two minutes later to give Turkey the title.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated the team in a telegram.

"I wholeheartedly congratulate the amputee national football team who became European champions by defeating England. Turkey is proud of you!" Erdogan also tweeted.