Verpakovskis left wanting more

By Pavle Gognidze in Riga

Latvian hero Maris Verpakovskis was left thinking of what might have been in Riga despite his goal giving Latvia a shock 1-0 victory against a Turkish side that finished third at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

More wanted
The Skonto FC striker's 29th-minute strike sparked wild celebrations in the Latvian capital but despite the euphoric mood, he reflected on opportunities missed. "I am not too happy about myself, I should have scored again in the second half," Verpakovskis said.

Fans thanked
In truth, the 24-year-old was in fantastic form at the Skonto stadium, and fully deserved the standing ovation he received after being substituted just before the final whistle. He paid tribute to the tremendous reception, adding: "I am eternally thankful to the fans - not every side enjoys support like this."

Hard work
Latvia coach Aleksandrs Starkovs was quick to praise the efforts of all his men, claiming his side had deserved victory for all their pre-match efforts. "You have seen the results of hard and prolonged work," he said. "The Turkish team did not surprise us, we have studied them well, and we knew what to expect.

Repeat possible
He added: "It will not be easy in Istanbul, but in Riga we were able to make the opponent play the way we wanted them to play. Why not repeat this in Turkey?"

Point proved
Latvia captain Vitalis Astafjevs also felt the team could have taken a bigger lead to the second leg. "If someone had offered me this result before the kick-off, I would have accepted without thinking. But now I am not too happy with 1-0, we could have done better. I think that we've proved that Latvia is ready to play at a serious level."

Coach unhappy
Turkey coach Senol Günes blamed the result on the freezing conditions in Riga, where the temperature was below zero. He said: "The weather and pitch influenced us - we did not move well at all and lost possession. I was studying Latvia a lot, but we were still surprised tactically."

Tactical decision
Günes also justified the decision to leave out Hakan Sükür in favour of a partnership of Nihat Kahveci and Ilhan Mansiz. "It was a choice based on our tactics, I preferred quick players," he said.

Finals aim
Despite tonight's defeat, the coach was still confident his team would be able to reach the finals in Portugal next summer, where they would be hopeful of matching their World Cup heroics. "We will win in Turkey and we will go to the [UEFA] European Championship," he predicted.