Despite a 95th-minute winner over Latvia, Turkey midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu was left unsatisfied by the result. The Inter Milan star felt that his national team’s overall performance wasn’t up to the task.
It was the Latvians who served as the hosts on Friday night, and they came extremely close to snatching a precious draw in the Euro 2024 qualifier that was held in front of their home supporters at the Skonto Stadium.
Abdulkerim Bardakci broke the deadlock for the Turks in the 22nd minute but Edward Emiss equalized for the home side early in the second period.
While the visitors managed to restore the lead thanks to Olympique Marseille winger Cenzig Under in the 61th minute, Kristers Tobers set the stadium ablaze with another equalizer, this time in the 94th minute.
Nonetheless, the 10-man hosts couldn’t preserve their valuable point, as Irfan Kahveci restored Turkiye’s lead a minute later.
Nevertheless, Calhanoglu could have done without all the late drama. The 29-year-old expressed his discontent with the outcome after the final whistle.
The 29-year-old believes that his national team is supposed to breathe past lowly opponents in a more comfortable fashion rather than indulging in chaotic affairs.
“Thank God we scored in the last second. But I’m not happy,” said the Nerazzurri star in his post-match interview with TRT Spor via FcInterNews.
“We should be able to win matches like this more easily. We won at the last minute while having a numerical advantage.”
Nevertheless, this win puts Turkey on top of Group D after the first three matchdays. Stefan Kuntz’s men now have six points from their first three matches. They remain ahead of Croatia, although the latter still has an extra match in hand.
Turkiye beat Armenia 2-1 away from home in the opening round before suffering a 0-2 defeat at home to Croatia.
On Monday, Calhanoglu will lead Turkey once again as they host Wales in the fourth matchday. This could be a direct clash between the two nations who might end up battling for second place in the group, with Croatia tipped to finish on top.
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For his part, the Inter Milan midfielder remains an icon in his home nation having featured in 77 caps for Turkey, scoring 17 goals in the process.
Following a stint at AC Milan, he made the crosstown switch to the Beneamata and swiftly established himself as a fan favorite.
