David Beckham has been hailed as a hero in the British press after securing a place for England in the Euro 2004 championship. The 28-year-old was subjected to repeated taunts by Turkish player Alpay, but he managed to keep his cool and lead his team to success.
The trouble started when David lost his footing and missed a penalty in the first half. "When I missed the penalty Alpay and another player came up to me and shouted in my face," revealed the Real Madrid star. The Turkish defender was then caught on camera poking Becks in the face as they headed for the dressing rooms at half time.
Several other members of the England squad came to the defence of their captain, and the situation escalated into a brawl in the tunnel. But the taunts weren't enough to deflect David from the task at hand, and he and the rest of the team fended off a series of desperate Turkish attacks in the second half.
The nil-all draw means that England came first in their qualifying group and go through to compete in the Euro 2004 championship in Portugal next year.
After the game Becks and his players danced with delight at their success. David also paid tribute to referee Pierluigi Collina for helping diffuse the on-pitch tensions.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
