Paraguay stop Turkey, Deniz Gul 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 its true worth.

For the Porto forward, taking part in 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 striker – the only member of the Turkish squad with the traits of a true No. 9 – had his first chance in the 62nd minute and then squandered a glaring opportunity in the 89th, a moment that was widely shared on social media. The move called for a left foot that Gul simply does not have and, from close range, the Porto man shot clearly wide. Even though he was offside, that moment once again highlighted Gul’s difficulties in front of goal, despite his other qualities.

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

In the two World Cup matches played so far, Gul has always come off the bench and, in total, has had two clear chances in 35 minutes on the pitch. Even so, with one more match still to play, he can still leave the competition showing that he has the credentials to be a starting option. In theory, with Samu injured – with his return to competition 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 striker could complicate the Turkish player’s situation at the Dragão. There is still time for the board to assess the situation and also gauge the market dynamics surrounding the player. Galatasaray remains the Turkish club paying closest attention to the Porto man’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, under the ‘10+4’ model. In other words, only 10 may be of any age, while the remaining four must be players born from 2004 onwards. Turkish players, meanwhile, will face no restrictions, 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 modest: in August 2024, the board paid Hammarby €4.5 million, plus €500,000 in bonuses.

After Turkey’s World Cup campaign is over, Deniz Gul will go on holiday and report later to Olival. Farioli’s squad is 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.