Turkey hails Italian coach Montella as one of its own

Turkey's Italian coach Vincenzo Montella has been embraced by the nation following his side's 2-1 win over Austria which took them into the Euro 2024 quarterfinals where they will face Netherlands on Saturday.

The win in Leipzig prompted wild celebrations among the country's diaspora in Germany and their fans will be well-represented for the clash with the Dutch at Berlin's Olympiastadion.

"Montella has become one of us now. He hugs and kisses everyone. He hugged me tightly and said 'We dedicate this victory to the Turkish nation and especially to you'," Turkish Football Federation (TFF) President Mehmet Buyukeksi told reporters.

"We are proud to have made 85 million people happy. However, we are especially proud to have made our expatriate citizens happy," he added.

German and Turkish media reported on Wednesday that Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan plans to attend the match, cancelling a proposed trip to Azerbaijan.

Set to co-host the 2032 Euros, Turkey are back in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2008.

"At the beginning of the tournament, I told the players, '(the) 2002 (World Cup), 2008 have been talked about for years. You should have a story to tell your children in this tournament'," Buyukeksi said.

"These kids are writing history and will continue to do so. We will go as far as we can in this tournament."