Turkey’s national football team took a decisive step towards the 2026 World Cup with a 4-1 win over Georgia national football team at Kocaeli Stadium, in the fourth match of Group E of the European World Cup qualifiers. With the win, the Turkish side moved up to the top of the standings and increased their chances of finishing in the top two of the group.
The goals for the Ottomans came from Merih Demiral (2), Kenan Yıldız and Yunus Akgün. The first goal came in the 14th minute when Kenan Yıldız took advantage of a through ball, outpaced the opposition defence and slotted the ball past the goalkeeper. After a VAR review, the goal was validated and made it 1-0.
Eight minutes later, Hakan Çalhanoğlu swung in a corner that Demiral headed home from inside the box to extend the lead to 2-0. And in the 35th minute, Kerem Aktürkoğlu started a move down the left flank that ended with several deflections inside the box until Yunus Akgün pushed the ball into the net, making it 3-0 before the break.
Spain stay top of the group after beating Bulgaria
In the second half, Turkey’s dominance continued. Again from a corner, Demiral again won the ball over the top and scored his second goal to make it 4-0. Georgia pulled one back in the 64th minute thanks to a combination between Davitashvili and Kochorashvili, who finished off the move with a precise shot to make it 4-1.
With this victory, Turkey now has nine points from four games, while Georgia has just three. In the other group match, Spain defeated Bulgaria 4-0 to lead the standings with 12 points. Bulgaria, meanwhile, remains bottom of the group and without a point.
The team coached by Vincenzo Montella will close their participation in the group with two decisive matches: on 15 November against Bulgaria in Bursa and on 18 November against Spain in Seville. The 12 group leaders from the European qualifiers will earn direct passage to the 2026 World Cup, while the 12 runners-up and four teams from the UEFA Nations League will battle it out in March 2026 for the four remaining places in the play-offs.
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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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