The Australia national team caused a major upset in their 2026 World Cup opener, beating Turkey 2-0 in the opening match of Group D, played in Vancouver. The unexpected defeat of the Turkish national football team, which had arrived at the tournament with high expectations after a 24-year absence thanks to players such as Arda Güler, Kenan Yıldız and Hakan Çalhanoğlu, has sparked strong criticism of their manager, the Italian coach Vincenzo Montella.
The first goal came in the 27th minute courtesy of Nestory Irankunda, who exploited the spaces left by the Turkish defence to break into the box and slot the ball home. From that moment on, Vincenzo Montella’s side took control of the match, building up possession and creating chances in the opposition’s box, though without finding the back of the net.
After the break, the Turkish side stepped up the pressure, but were met with an outstanding performance from goalkeeper Patrick Beach and a very solid Australian defence. Despite enjoying clear superiority in possession and the number of shots – 63% possession for the Turks and 28 shots compared to just 8 for the Australians – the Milli Takım were unable to convert that dominance into clear-cut chances.
The decisive moment came in the 75th minute. Connor Metcalfe rounded off a swift counter-attack with a powerful left-footed strike from outside the box that was unstoppable, despite Uğurcan Çakır’s diving save, making it 2-0 and sparking jubilation among the Australian fans. The team managed by Tony Popovic thus produced a display of efficiency and tactical discipline that stood in stark contrast to their opponents’ lack of accuracy.
Montella defends himself against criticism
The result has been described by numerous international media outlets as the first major surprise of the World Cup, as Turkey arrived at the tournament with high expectations after returning to a World Cup for the first time in almost a quarter of a century. Following the defeat, Montella acknowledged that his team struggled to match Australia’s physical intensity and lamented their lack of effectiveness in front of goal.
“I have a lot of respect for Australia. I was already expecting them to play like that,” he told reporters. “We knew there would be criticism if we lost. There have also been times when we’ve been criticised even when we were winning,” he added, defending himself against the harsh comments directed at the Turkish team’s performance.
Even so, the Italian manager remained convinced that Türkiye has room to bounce back in their upcoming group stage matches. “We must not lose our cool under any circumstances. We still have time. That’s why we’ll give our all to achieve what we want,” he said.
Turkish press slams the Italian manager of the Milli Takım
The Turkish and international press, however, do not seem to have viewed with the same optimism a match in which Turkey failed to live up to expectations. “Montella gets off to a bad start: Turkey attacks, but Australia scores two goals,” reported the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, whilst L’Equipe in France wrote, “Turkey squandered its chance of a spectacular World Cup comeback following a surprise defeat to Australia.”
The Turkish press, for its part, speaks of a “major fiasco” (Hürriyet), a “sad start” (Yeni Akit) or a “nightmarish start” (Fotospor); in the latter case, the famous Turkish sports daily describes a Turkish team that dominated the match by laying siege to the Australian goal with 30 shots — 8 of which were on target and 14 from inside the box —but which ended up losing due to the “suicidal decisions” apparently intended to “not win” taken by Montella, who “sadly demonstrated his inability to devise a single creative move or a set-piece attack that would turn this overwhelming dominance into a goal”.
“Montella practically nullified his team’s attacking potential with haphazard substitutions and incorrect role assignments. If the team takes 30 shots and fails to score, it is not due to the players’ incompetence, but to the lack of vision of the manager,” states Fotospor, which accuses the coaching staff of having remained impassive and without a “plan B” when the match became an uphill struggle for the Turks.
With this victory, Australia claim their first three points and sit at the top of Group D alongside the United States, who defeated Paraguay 4-1. For their part, Turkey – who face Paraguay on 19 June – are now forced to secure a good result in their next match to keep their chances of qualifying for the World Cup round of 16 alive.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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