Turkey suffered one of the worst defeats of the tournament as they lost 3-0 to the current holders Spain. The defeat was also Turkey’s worst defeat since they lost 3-0 to Iceland in their first qualifying game.
Turkey were dominated by Spain throughout the game as they progressed to the knock out stages of the tournament. Spain gained the lead in the 34th minute through an Alvaro Morata header. The Spanish side then doubled their lead three minutes later as winger Nolito side-footed home from close range. Spain killed the game of a few minutes into the second half as a fabulous 22-pass move involving nine outfield players finished with Morata finding the back of the net again.
In the post match interview, Turkey manager Fatih Terim expressed his disappointment at his players who he believes gave up during the match.
I don’t give up…
Terim expressed his anger at his players as he admitted that he “saw a team that [he] doesn’t like”. The manager commented that people who know him in the professional environment know that he himself has “no business with those who just give up” and that he “can’t come to terms” with a team that “gives up and just accepts defeat”. He finished by saying that he “apologises on behalf of [himself] and the team to everyone” for the way they acted on the pitch and their performances.
Praise for Spain
When questioned about Turkey’s opponents Terim labelled them “a special team”. The manager added that his team “conceded two goals through individual mistakes”, one of which, however, was “unbelievable”. He went on to admit that “after the third goal [his team] fell apart” and that they shouldn’t have been “pessimistic after conceding one goal to Spain” yet after conceding the second it became “very difficult” and “after the third goal [they] fell apart”.
Terim finished his interview by thanking the fans for their support and asked to “keep up that support for the match against the Czech Republic”. He also added that they shouldn’t believe that he “will accept a result like this today or any other day”.