Turkey beat Iceland 4-2 in the UEFA Nations League match played yesterday in the Icelandic capital, Reykjavik, where the goal scored by Real Madrid’s Arda Güler was decisive in turning the game around in the final minutes.
The match at Reykjavik’s Laugardalsvollur stadium, which was almost called off due to the bitter cold, started badly for the Turks, who found themselves a goal down through Orri Oskarsson after a solo effort from the Icelander with just three minutes gone. Despite the blow, the Milli Takım did not give up and just two minutes later Hakan Çalhanoğlu had a chance to equalise, only to be denied in extremis by Iceland’s goalkeeper Valdimarsson.
During the second half, the game was clearly dominated by the Turks, who practically cornered the Icelanders in their own half; in the first minutes after the break, there were several chances to score, with İrfan Kahveci’s header in the 49th minute standing out, which was brilliantly saved by Valdimarsson. In the 52nd minute, the referee, with the help of the VAR, awarded Turkey a penalty to Hakan Çalhanoğlu, but the referee subsequently disallowed it after Çalhanoğlu accidentally touched the ball twice.
The Ottoman pressure did not let up, however, and 10 minutes later Kahveci scored a magnificent goal with a powerful left-footed curling shot from outside the area, sending the bench and the handful of Turkish fans in the stadium into euphoria. In the 65th minute the referee again pointed to another handball in the box and awarded Turkey another penalty, which Çalhanoğlu finally converted without any problems.
Iceland strikes back
But the Icelanders were not going to stand still. Ten minutes later, Iceland almost equalised after a mistake in the Turkish defence, and did so in the 83rd minute with a header from Andri Guðjohnsen.
It was at this most difficult moment, when Iceland seemed to be getting back on top and the Turks were losing their bite, that Arda Güler came on to give his team some oxygen and took advantage of a Valdimarsson mistake to make it 2-3 with just two minutes to go. In stoppage time, Kerem Aktürkoğlu sealed the game with the fourth goal, thanks to a beautiful shot from outside the box that flew into the top corner finally sinking the Icelanders, who were still hoping for a draw.
With the win over Iceland, Turkey – who faces Wales on 16 November after a goalless draw in Cardiff in September – reaffirmed its place at the top of Nations League B Group 4.
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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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