Hakan Çalhanoğlu: We brought it this far

The National Football Team, which lost 1-0 to Paraguay in the second week of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group D, has ended its journey in the tournament. Thus, the Crescent-Stars have bid farewell to the World Cup, which they participated in after a 24-year hiatus, at the group stage.

Following the match, national team captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu made evaluations to members of the press. Stating that they are experiencing great sadness, the experienced footballer said that the team did its best on the pitch.

“THEY FOUND THE GOAL WITH THEIR FIRST SHOT”

Sharing his feelings after the match, Çalhanoğlu used the following expressions:

"It is not easy to find words right now, it is difficult! We brought it this far! We tried everything for two matches. We shoot, it doesn't happen, we try, it doesn't happen... It's just bad luck... They found the goal with their first shot!"

“PERHAPS THE LAST WORLD CUP FOR ME”

Emphasizing that the national team has a young squad, Çalhanoğlu stated that despite the disappointment, he looks to the future with hope.

"We are a young team, we will have many more tournaments. Perhaps this is the last World Cup for me... Everyone is sad, devastated! We tried, it didn't work! It was an experience for everyone!"

???? Hakan Çalhanoğlu: I apologize to all our people on behalf of the team. This may be the last World Cup for me, but we need to support our other young friends. pic.twitter.com/RyY9PXPL1S

— TRT Spor (@trtspor) June 20, 2026

“FOOTBALL IS SOMETIMES CRUEL”

Saying that being eliminated is not easy to accept, the national captain stated that one should be proud of the point the team has reached.

"We should be proud of ourselves, we didn't get here easily! Look at where we came from and where we are now... It is not easy to be eliminated, one cannot accept it! Football is sometimes cruel! We must learn lessons from this too! We lost the match again with one shot!"

News Source: 12punto