Loud cheers and heartfelt groans erupted in the Hinson Campus Center last Wednesday when students witnessed Turkey score the decisive goal against Switzerland in Group Stage of the Euro Cup 2008.
Switzerland supporter Jake Kook, had already abandoned his front row seat right in front of the television screen, when Turkey scored in the 90th minute.
Two minutes stoppage time would not enough for Switzerland to even the score, he said, because the heavy rain made the field slippery.
“They cannot control the ball the way they want,” Kook said.
Avil Soleiman, a second year who supported the Turkish team, predicted a Turkish victory during half time, when Switzerland was still leading 1-0.
“They usually play like this,” Soleiman said. “First half – bad. Second half – good.”
Others did not expect this last minute goal. “I didn’t see that coming because they weren’t playing that well,” said Nedin Klisturic. The excited mood in the cafeteria is another plus point for others, such as Biochemistry major Samson Su. “I still enjoy the atmosphere here,” said the first year. “Everyone is shouting, yelling, and I like that.” However, not all students were watching the game. Su was sharing three tables in the front with friends, but only he and Deep Ng, were paying attention to the match. For the first half hour, few students seemed to focus on the screen, until Switzerland scored the first goal, and viewers became increasingly more vocal. Seventy minutes into the game, at least thirty heads were permanently turned up towards the screen. Turkey’s missed goal opportunity in the 73rd minute earned groans of disappointment from supporters and a single, lonely boo from a Switzerland fan in the far right corner. While Monday’s crowd might have stumbled unto the game by accident, a great part of Wednesday’s audience came deliberately to watch the match, said Ng. Viewers appeared to be split between supporting Turkey and Switzerland, with several undecided or only mildly in favor of one team. Ng said that he leaned towards the Turkish team while Su said he somewhat sided with Portugal.