ISTANBUL, March 5ISTANBUL, March 5 (Reuters) - Turks celebrated late into the night after Fenerbahce beat Sevilla to reach the Champions League quarter-finals and newspapers heralded the victory on Wednesday as putting it among the giants of European football.
"Fenerbahce, the new star of Europe," proclaimed Sabah newspaper above a photo of the club's players running to congratulate goalkeeper Volkan Demirel after he saved the last of three spot kicks in a penalty shoot-out.
Fenerbahce became the second Turkish team to reach the quarter-finals of the competition after former UEFA Cup champions Galatasaray, whose success in Europe has until now overshadowed that of its Istanbul rivals.
"We said we would become a global giant and we are slowly progressing towards this," Fenerbahce Chairman Aziz Yildirim said in Sevilla after watching his team stage a comeback in Tuesday's match.
Sevilla, who had lost the first leg 3-2, stormed into a two-goal lead in the first nine minutes and added a third just before halftime. But Fenerbahce reined them in with two goals to force extra time.
The recipe for Fenerbahce's success has a strong Brazilian flavour under the leadership of coach Zico.
The club's two goals in Tuesday's match in Sevilla were scored by Deivid and another Brazilian, playmaker Alex, has been a key factor in the club's progress since he joined from Cruzeiro in 2004.
Mehmet Aurelio, who has joint Brazilian and Turkish citizenship and plays for the Turkish national team, is also a vital element in the team's midfield. Defender Roberto Carlos missed the Sevilla game because of injury.
Despite the fierce rivalry between Fenerbahce and the other major Istanbul clubs Galatasaray and Besiktas, the victory was trumpeted as a triumph for the whole of Turkish football which has drifted since the national side reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2002.
"This pride is not just Fenerbahce's pride because Fenerbahce was Turkey and it achieved this success in the name of Turkey," said former national team coach Mustafa Denizli in Milliyet newspaper. (editing by Clare Lovell)