SAITAMA, Japan, 26 June — Turkish players are rallying round struggling striker Hakan Sukur, urging fans and a skeptical press to have faith in arguably the country’s greatest ever player.

Hakan Sukur missed a number of excellent chances in Turkey’s 1-0 quarterfinal win over Senegal and it was his second half replacement Ilhan Mansiz who scored the golden goal that earned the team a semifinal against Brazil.

But despite press calls for Ilhan to start, Hakan Sukur’s teammates still have faith in their captain, Turkey’s highest scorer and most-capped player.

“Hakan Sukur is a great player and his contribution to Turkish football cannot be denied,” said defender Alpay Ozalan. “He may have missed a few chances but those are chances we create every match and he’ll make up for them in the next match.

“I am sure that he will go on scoring the goals that got us here in the first place.”

Turkey’s coaching staff emphasize that Hakan Sukur has played all five World Cup matches despite an abdominal strain that demands constant treatment.