Turkey advances: the'pride of Montella, Yildiz and Calhanoglu

Turkey advances to the final playoff toward the 2026 World Cup after a 1-0 win over Romania signed by Ferdi Kadioglu. Among the winners, however, are many players known to the general Italian public, from coach Vincenzo Montella to two iconic players of the Anatolian national team and also of Serie A. We are of course talking about Kenan Yildiz, number 10 of Juventus, and Hakan Calhanoglu, a staple of Inter Milan. And for all three, the excitement and expectations toward the decisive return to the field set for next Tuesday are irrepressible.

“It doesn’t matter who the opponent will be, whether Slovakia or Kosovo,” Montella had said before knowing the outcome of the match that awarded precisely Kosovo. “We know that every opponent and every match is different, and we prepare accordingly. But I am really very satisfied with our performance. We played with maturity, avoiding the impatience that can be there against such opponents. But we talked to each other at halftime, realizing that we should have been more dynamic,” Turkey’s coach explained at the end of the game.

Yildiz was also particularly happy. “In the first half we were very defensive, but so were they. Romania had three men all over me,” the Juventus starlet pointed out.

It was not really possible for us to score, but in the second half we managed it and things went much better. This is how it works in Italy, too, but I am very proud of this team. Turkey is experiencing a great generation, always giving their all on the field. But we don’t need more pressure, we haven’t qualified for a World Cup in 24 years.”

Decidedly different is Calhanoglu’s moment, but not his enthusiasm. “It’s been a month and a half since my injury,” recalled the Inter midfielder. “My mood then was a bit low, but I tried not to give up. I worked hard to play this match with Turkey, and I managed to do it with high morale.”

“We are a young, but dynamic and competitive team. Everyone is trying to take the field to give their all. Now all we have left is the final, but Turkey has great character. We will rest these days so that we can get to the next game in the best way. We want to be as focused as possible,” Calhanoglu concluded.