Turkey don carry one big victory for dia hand as dem beat Romania 1-0 for di UEFA World Cup qualifying playoff semi-final match wey happen for Vodafone Park for Istanbul. Di match wey play on Thursday, March 26, 2026, see Turkey score di only goal for di 53rd minute through Ferdi Kadioglu wey get sweet assist from Real Madrid star Arda Güler.
Di match begin with both teams dey careful, but Turkey dey control di ball pass Romania. For di first half, Turkey get better chances, including one from Arda Güler wey nearly enter net but miss di top corner. Romania too get one chance wey Vlad Dragomir hit crossbar, but referee don already raise flag for offside.
Everything change for di second half when Arda Güler collect ball for right side and send perfect pass give Ferdi Kadioglu wey dey run enter space. Kadioglu control di ball well and shoot pass Romania goalkeeper Ionuț Radu to score di winning goal. Di assist from Güler na one moment of quality wey break di deadlock.
After di goal, Turkey continue to press for another goal. Kenan Yıldiz from Juventus nearly double di lead when im shot hit crossbar. Romania try to come back for di game, and for di last 10 minutes, Nicolae Stanciu get chance wey hit post. Romania push hard for equalizer, but Turkey defense remain strong to protect di 1-0 lead until final whistle.
Di victory mean Turkey don qualify for di Path C final wey go hold on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. Dem go face di winner of di match between Slovakia and Kosovo wey still dey play for Thursday evening. Slovakia and Kosovo match dey hold for Národný futbalový štadión for Bratislava.
Turkey coach Vincenzo Montella talk say im team ready for di final match. “We don take one big step today, but di work never finish. We go prepare well for di final match, no matter if na Slovakia or Kosovo we go face,” Montella talk after di match.
Romania coach Răzvan Lucescu express disappointment but congratulate Turkey. “Our players try dia best, but Turkey get better quality for di important moment. We go learn from dis experience,” Lucescu talk.
Di statistics show Turkey dominate di match with 65% ball possession and 14 shots compare to Romania 8 shots. Turkey goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakir make important saves to keep clean sheet.
Dis victory na big one for Turkey wey never qualify for World Cup since 2002 when dem reach semi-final. If dem win di Path C final, dem go join Group D for 2026 World Cup wey go hold for United States, Canada and Mexico. Group D already contain United States, Paraguay and Australia.
For other UEFA playoff matches wey dey hold on Thursday, Italy dey face Northern Ireland for Path A, Wales dey play Bosnia and Herzegovina for Path A, Ukraine dey meet Sweden for Path B, Poland dey tackle Albania for Path B, Denmark dey play North Macedonia for Path D, and Czechia dey face Ireland for Path D.
Di 2026 World Cup playoffs dey determine di last six teams wey go join di 48-team tournament. Apart from UEFA playoffs, FIFA playoffs dey hold for other confederations with teams like New Caledonia, Jamaica, DR Congo, Bolivia, Suriname and Iraq dey compete for two spots.
All eyes dey on Slovakia vs Kosovo match wey go determine who Turkey go face for di crucial final. Slovakia coach Francesco Calzona and Kosovo coach Franco Foda don promise to give dia best for di semi-final match.
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