Turkey Gets Off to a Rough Start

“Socceroos” shock the Bosphorus: Sensation at the World Cup!

Huge celebrations among the “Socceroos”(Bild: AFP/DEAN MOUHTAROPOULOS)

Major World Cup upset in Group D: Favored Turkey suffered a 0-2 defeat against Australia on Saturday (local time) in Vancouver. Goals by Nestory Irankunda (27th minute) and Connor Metcalfe (75th minute) sent the “Socceroos” into celebration.

By now, we know what to expect from Australia at World Cups. Since 2006, the “Socceroos” have been regulars in the final rounds, and their style of play has always been the same: line up deep at the back, fight until they drop, and launch the occasional counterattack up front.

(Bild: AP/Abbie Parr)

(Bild: AP/Abbie Parr)

(Bild: AP/Emma Peterson)

(Bild: EPA/BOB FRID)

(Bild: AP/DARRYL DYCK)

Australia has maintained this approach under head coach Tony Popovic as well. In Vancouver, they were more than happy to let Turkey have the ball, lining up with a five-man backline and a four-man midfield in front of it, and challenging the opponent: “Go ahead and figure out how to score a goal against us.” 

Tony Popovic(Bild: AP/Abbie Parr)

And for a long time, the Turks had absolutely no idea. The Australians marked playmaker Arda Güler closely, often with two men, preventing the Real Madrid player from making an impact. Up front, Vincenzo Montella’s squad was also too static, often content to simply pass the ball back and forth. It wasn’t until the 27th minute that Turkey created their first real chance, and it would prove to be their undoing. Güler did get a shot off, but Australia’s goalie Beach made the save, and then the underdogs showed the downside of their style of play.

Lightning-fast counterattack
After the goal kick, Okon-Engstler played a through ball to the lightning-fast Irankunda, who dribbled past Demiral, outran him, and finished with a crisp shot into the near corner (27').

Nestory Irankunda(Bild: AFP/STU FORSTER)

With the lead in hand, Australia certainly had no reason to change its game plan. The Turks’ only recourse was long-range shots. And one such attempt nearly led to the equalizer in the 30th minute. Bardakci unleashed a rocket from about 30 meters out; Beach got his fingertips to it, just managing to deflect the dangerously spinning ball onto the post. The goalie didn’t need to make another spectacular save, as attempts by Calhanoglu and Güler went well wide.

Yildiz brings dynamismin
 After the break, Juventus player Kenan Yildiz—who hadn’t started the game, reportedly due to a lack of fitness—came on for Turkey on the left wing, bringing more dynamism with him. But the Australians now wanted to catch their opponents off guard, trying to take more initiative up front and capitalize on their significant height advantage on high balls. After a corner, Harry Souttar had a chance to make it 2-0 (54'), but goalkeeper Cakir was on his toes.

The Turks’ best chance by far came from Güler on a free kick (57th minute), but Beach saved it with relative ease. Otherwise, the Turks struggled against the Australians, who often defended with eight men in their own penalty area. In the 73rd minute, Hakan Calhanoglu managed to outwit this deep defense with a through ball, but Celik failed to beat Beach from too acute an angle.

 
 strikes back quickly once againAnd once again, the Australians struck promptly after a big chance for the Turks. Yildiz fumbled the ball in midfield and didn’t chase it down; Connor Metcalfe took a chance and fired a shot, and Cakir couldn’t reach the well-placed shot into the bottom corner. In the 75th minute, tens of thousands of Australian fans cheered loudly at BC Stadium.

(Bild: AFP/DEAN MOUHTAROPOULOS)

The ineffective center forward Aktürkoglu had a chance to make it exciting again but missed from a promising position (77th minute). The Turks’ final surge came from a Calhanoglu free kick (86th minute). But in the end, the 2-0 victory was a major surprise.

Final score:
Australia – Turkey 2–0 (1–0)
Vancouver, BC Place, 52,497, Ref. Valenzuela/VEN
Goals: 1-0 (27') Irankunda, 2-0 (75') Metcalfe
Yellow cards: None and Akgün

Australia: Beach – Italiano (74. Geria), Circati, Souttar, Burgess, Bos (83. Behich) – Metcalfe, O’Neill, Okon-Engstler (83. Irvine), Irankunda (61. Velupillay) – Toure (74. Yengi)
Turkey: Cakir – Celik (80. Müldür), Demiral, Bardakci, Kadioglu – Yüksek (80. Özcan), Calhanoglu, Kökcü (62. Akgün) – Güler, Aktürkoglu (85. Gül), Yilmaz (46. Yildiz)