Deniz Gul's Turkey beat Romania and reach the play-off final | OneFootball

In the first match of the 2026 World Cup qualifying play-offs, played this Thursday, Turkey got the better of Romania and kept the dream alive. The match took place at Besiktas Park in Istanbul and ended in a 1-0 win.

FC Porto’s Deniz Gul remained on the bench. The only goal of the match was scored by Fenerbahçe’s Ferdi Kadioglu, following an assist from Turkey’s main star, Arda Guler, the young Real Madrid player.

A precise cross from the right half-space found the full-back in a great position in front of Radu. Kadioglu made no mistake and finished successfully.

Romania’s best chance was a shot off the post by the experienced Stanciu. Throughout the match, the Turkish side always looked superior.

The next opponent for Vincenzo Montella’s team will be Slovakia or Kosovo. The play-off final is scheduled for March 31.

Turkey have only appeared in two World Cup editions, in 1954 and 2002. Romania, meanwhile, last took part in 1998.

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