62 shots. Over 100 touches in the opposition box. An Expected Goals total of almost 3.5. Those are the stats of Turkey’s attack in the matches against the two weaskest sides in Group D, Australia and Paraguay. And somehow, someway, Turkey scored zero goals, picked up zero points, and are eliminated from the World Cup before they even play the United States in the final group game.
A very talented generation that created tons of hope with a strong showing at EURO 2024 and a really good Qualifying campaign was unable to turn their statistical dominance into what actually matters in football: put the ball in the back of the net. Arda Güler’s passing and creativity were wasted, Kenan Yildiz played injured and still did more than enough to help his team, and captain Hakan Çalhanoglu saw one long-distance shot after another hit everything but the target.
Vincenzo Montella has never fully convinced the nation with his coaching, and his job will almost certainly be in major jeopardy after such a disappointing end to what was expected to be a dark horse type of World Cup campaign for a very talented generation. But his ultra-attacking style left his defense exposed time and time again throughout his tenure, and Turkey paid for it at the biggest stage.
As for the loss to Paraguay, it was absolutely wild. The game had everything: a great early goal, some incredible missed chances by the Turkish attack, and a refereeing performance by CONCACAF’s own Iván Barton that needs to be seen to be believed.
We also saw the first-ever red card for a player covering his mouth during a confrontation, and Paraguay’s Miguel Almirón has now been subjected to punishment from two new obscure rules in the same World Cup. It was a truly bonkers match, perfect for the neutrals, unforgettable for Paraguayans, and truly tragic for Turkey.