Turkey captain Hakan Calhanoglu gave an emotional exit speech after their Euro 2024 run came to an end against the Netherlands.
The tournament’s dark horses put in a valiant effort against the Dutch in the quarter-finals, and even took the lead in the match.
Samet Akaydin headed home from Arda Guler’s cross in the first half and Turkey did not sit back and defend their lead, but instead looked to push on.
But they came unstuck in the second half, with strikes from Stefan De Vrij and an Mert Muldur own goal sending the Netherlands to the semi-finals against England.
If you fancy a wager on the semi-finals at Euro 2024, don’t forget to visit the Betano Free bets offer page to claim £30 free bets
It will be a memorable summer for Turkey, who finally found their potential after failing at Euro 2020.
After the match, Calhanoglu said: “I would like to thank everyone who contributed. We had a great tournament.
Netherlands 2-1 Türkiye: Oranje stage comeback to set up England semi-final…
Match report 🗞️⬇️#EURO2024 | #NEDTUR
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) July 6, 2024
“We are all very sad but hopefully more will come. Unfortunately, that’s it. We’ve come this far. If we’ve made our nation experience this excitement, how happy we are.
“Losing happens in football. Our fans gave us a standing ovation at the end of the match, which is a good signal.
“We didn’t start the second half very well and fell behind. After their second goal, we turned to long balls. Such things happen. It’s an honour to have come this far.”
