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Dismal Turkey exit Euros with barely a whimper
Former Turkey international Nihat Kahveci said the Turkish side was the worst at the 24-team tournament.
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Turkey's forward Yusuf Yacizi (center) attends a training session at the Bakcell Arena in Baku on June 13, 2021, during the UEFA EURO 2020 football competition. (AFP/Ozan Kose)
T
urkey's feeble showing at Euro 2020 - three defeats and only one goal - has disappointed fans and pundits alike, who were expecting much more from a mix of young and experienced players from the top European leagues.
Former Turkey international Nihat Kahveci said the Turkish side was the worst at the 24-team tournament.
"We were among the definite favourites to qualify for the second round, but now we are the worst team in the tournament," Kahveci said, adding that the Turkish performance didn't even have bright moments throughout all three games.
Turkey scored their first and only goal of the tournament in their final game against Switzerland, after losing to Italy and Wales. Turkey finished bottom of Group A.
The 68-year-old coach Senol Gunes, who led the Turkish national football team to a stunning third-place finish at the 2002 World Cup, has been back at the helm since 2019 - but he has been the target of harsh criticism by Turkish media.
On Sunday, he was the top trending topic on Turkish Twitter, with many people calling on him to resign. The second top-trending topic was "Our Soulless", a play on the nickname "Our Boys" in Turkish that is widely used for the national team.
"It's not only the choices made by Gunes, but also how emotionless the players are. They are not even talking to each other, and they are not even expressing anger after conceded goals."
On the pitch, Turkey put in their worst performance in five appearances at the European Championship tournament.
On paper, however, it was a strong squad composed of a talented group of young players, most of whom play in Europe's top five leagues.
Just ahead of the tournament, the side raised hopes by beating the Netherlands 4-2 and a tricky Norway side in March's World Cup qualifiers.
But football commentator Mert Aydin was scathing on Sunday, saying Turkey was the only team at the tournament without a game plan.
"I was not able to understand what plan Gunes had in mind. Perhaps none? Neither defence nor offence seemed to know what they were doing," Aydin said.
"Senol changing the midfielders, the game makers for every match shows how unsuccessful his plan at the beginning was."
The national press were no more supportive.
"The Turkish nation asked for a team that appreciated the flag on their chests, but the footballers did not clean this stain," said the country's top-selling newspaper Sozcu.
