Paraguay hold Turkey, Deniz Gül under fire after box miss | OneFootball

Turkey’s and Deniz Gul’s dream of progressing in the World Cup ended in huge disappointment, with their ambition of reaching the round of 32 falling by the wayside. The next Group D match takes place on Friday against the United States and will serve only for Montella’s side to try to leave a different impression of their worth.

For the Porto striker, being at the tournament still represents a landmark moment in his career, not least because Turkey only secured qualification after two play-offs against Romania and Kosovo. Even so, more was expected from him. The 1-0 defeat to Paraguay did not help build a positive perception around Gul. There are, however, mitigating factors. We’ll get to that. Brought on in the 60th minute, the centre-forward – the only player in the Turkey squad with the traits of a true number 9 – had his first chance in the 62nd minute and then squandered a glaring opportunity in the 89th, a moment that spread widely on social media. The move called for a left foot that Gul does not have and, from inside the six-yard box, the Porto man shot clearly wide. Even though he was offside, that moment once again highlighted Gul’s finishing difficulties, despite the fact that he has other qualities.

The mitigating factor is linked to Vincenzo Montella’s own tactical choice: from the moment he opted for a more fixed reference point in the box, instead of the mobility of Akturkoglu, who went off at half-time, Turkey began to occupy the opposition’s finishing area better, also taking advantage of Miguel Almirón’s unusual sending-off even before the break, after covering his mouth during a scuffle with Muldur.

In the two matches Turkey have played at the World Cup, Gul has always come off the bench and, in total, has racked up two clear chances in 35 minutes on the pitch. Even so, with one more match still to play, he can still bow out of the competition showing that he has the qualities to be a starting option. In theory, with the injury to Samu – whose return to action is expected in October or mid-November – Gul will continue to have room at FC Porto. Even so, the signing of André Silva and the possible arrival of another centre-forward could complicate the Turkish player’s situation at the Dragão. There is still time for the board to assess the situation and also understand the market dynamics around the player. Galatasaray remain the Turkish club paying the closest attention to the Porto player’s situation.

From 2026/27 onwards, Turkish clubs will be subject to new registration rules: the maximum will be 14 foreign players in the first-team squad, under the ’10+4’ model. In other words, only 10 may be of any age, while the other four must be players born from 2004 onwards. Turkish players, meanwhile, will face no limitation at all, which could make Gul, at 21 and already with top-level experience, a particularly attractive target. Gul is under contract until 2029 and has a €50 million release clause. The initial investment was also relatively low: in August 2024, the board paid €4.5 million to Hammarby, plus €500,000 in bonuses.

Once Turkey’s World Cup campaign is over, Deniz Gul will go on holiday and report back later at Olival. Farioli’s squad are scheduled to return on the first day of July.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.