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Turkiye heroes return home
Turkiye's economic problems recede for a moment
Fireworks, balloons and confetti filled the sky as tens of thousands of flag-waving Turks greeted
Turkiyes World Cup squad on their return to Istanbul.
Turkiye came third in the tournament after beating co-hosts South Korea 3-2 Saturday, an achievement that exceeded most Turkish expectations.
They have given us a lot of happiness, but I cannot helpthinking that we could have won the cup
Striker Hakan Sukur scored in the opening 11 seconds of that game to set a World Cup record for the fastest goal.
Earlier, Turkish fighter jets escorted a plane carrying the team over the country's airspace.
Gunes: We made our mark
Dressed in shorts and jerseys, the players descended the steps of the plane and climbed on an open-top bus to parade through the city.
After a drive that lasted nearly three hours, the squad joined a massive street party at Istanbul's largest square, Taksim.
Fireworks and balloons were released as soon as the bus approached.
The players sang and da
nced on stage with
Turkiye's best-known pop star Tarkan as more than 50,000 watched.
The team's success has been a welcome distraction from the country's gloomy economic crisis and political uncertainty.
The economy shrank 9.4 percent last year, leading to massive layoffs.
"We're very happy," said Tugay Kerimoglu who was celebrating at Taksim square.
"But it won't last. ... Our problems will return in the morning."
Turkish media say thanks
As three large TV screens at Taksim showed replays of the squad's best goals, some expressed disappointment that the team had not done better.
"You have given us a lot of happiness, but we must achieve Euro2004
to," Web Master Ali Burak said.
