Turkey captain Hakan Calhanoglu has doubled down on the pre-match comments that fired up the Socceroos, insisting his side were the better team despite being whacked 2-0 by the Aussies in their World Cup opener.
The Inter Milan star raised eyebrows before the Group D clash in Vancouver when he declared Turkey were the more talented side and expected to dominate Australia.
Instead, goals from Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe handed Tony Popovic’s men a famous victory that saw them leapfrog Turkey in the world rankings and left their opponents facing an uphill battle to reach the knockout stages.
But rather than back away from his pre-match assessment, Calhanoglu stood by it after the final whistle.
Asked about his prediction that Turkey would dominate, the midfielder responded: ‘We didn’t dominate?’
When a journalist replied that Turkey had controlled possession but not the match itself, Calhanoglu remained defiant.
Hakan Calhanoglu insisted Turkey dominated despite losing 2-0, refusing to back down from pre-match claims of superiority
Calhanoglu, pictured competing for the ball with Australia’s Jordan Bos, claimed Turkey controlled the match despite failing to score and leaving Vancouver empty-handed after defeat
The Turkish skipper insisted Australia merely defended well despite the Socceroos finishing with all three points
‘I don’t think they did the same like you. We dominated today, Australia was just behind, defending good,’ he said.
‘Two long goals, they scored. It was our mistakes.
‘If you go through the whole 90 minutes, and you don’t score … it means you have to always be focused.
‘Never give up because I think we did a good game, just we didn’t score.’
The comments came after Calhanoglu had confidently declared before the match that Turkey would take control because they possessed greater quality than the Socceroos.
‘I think that we dominate tomorrow, the game, because we have more qualities and a more talented team, so we will see tomorrow what happens,’ he said on the eve of the contest.
He also dismissed suggestions Australia could gain an edge through experience despite nine Socceroos players having previously appeared at World Cups.
‘I saw those comments. Our team has both talented and experienced players. We don’t underestimate any opponent,’ Calhanoglu said.
Australia’s victory moved them closer to the knockout stages while increasing pressure on Turkey’s campaign hopes
Thousands of Aussies turned out for watching parties around the country to experience the memorable victory
‘Those interviews have reached our ears. It’s better for us that way. The team is already motivated.’
The remarks did not go unnoticed inside the Australian camp, with Socceroos stars left angered by his take.
Socceroos defender Milos Degenek had earlier pointed to the pressure facing Turkey, who were appearing at their first World Cup since 2002.
‘Turkey has got a lot of pressure as well, because they haven’t been to a World Cup since 2002. There’s a lot of hope on them, and a lot of pressure,’ Degenek said.
Turkey midfielder Ismail Yuksek laughed off those comments before kickoff.
‘Some funny statements came from the Australian side,’ Yuksek said.
‘They’re probably trying to put pressure on us, but in my opinion, it’s a funny statement.’
Australia had the final say. Irankunda revealed the Turkish comments had provided extra motivation for the Socceroos before the tournament opener.
‘These lot [Turkey], they came, they did their talking but they couldn’t back it on the field,’ he said.
‘We got the win at the end of the day, and people can talk all they want, but if they’re not gonna put a performance out there on the pitch then there’s no point in talking.
‘Obviously that gave us fire in our belly. It obviously did p*** off a few boys, but at the end of the day, these guys can talk all their s***, so we don’t really care.’
The Bayern Munich product, now starring for Watford, also mocked Turkey’s claims of superiority.
‘They underestimated us a lot and we showed them that we can play,’ Irankunda said.
‘Obviously they kept the ball a lot more, but who scored the goals? We scored the goals.
‘We showed them that we can play football.’
Turkey coach Vincenzo Montella admitted afterwards that Australia’s defensive organisation and physical presence had caused his side major problems.
‘They have been very good in their game,’ Montella said.
‘We had 78 per cent of the time where we had the ball but we had not been precise and we think it is also important to score a goal.’
The victory puts Australia in a commanding position in Group D ahead of a blockbuster clash against the United States, while Turkey must now regroup quickly to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
