Vincenzo Montella: An unfair defeat

The Turkish National Football Team was defeated 2-1 by Poland, whom they faced at the PGE Narodowy Stadium in their final friendly match before the 2024 European Football Championship.

Speaking at the press conference held after the match, Turkish National Football Team Head Coach Vincenzo Montella said, "We haven't won in 5 matches, perhaps, but we made a decision; we scheduled our friendly matches to play against tough opponents away from home. I think it was an unfair defeat. Because the second goal came from a throw-in taken 15 meters ahead of where it should have been.

Four of our offensive players had to stay too far forward because of such a mistake. What bothers me is that we put in the effort here, we work hard, and even if it is a friendly match, it is upsetting to see these mistakes," he said.

"WE ARE A PRODUCTIVE TEAM"

Emphasizing that he is not worried about this defeat, Montella said, "We had 22 shots in the opponent's half. We had twice as many shots as the opponent. We just need to be a bit more clinical in the final meters. That's why I'm not worried in any way. Why am I not worried? Because our team enters the final 20 meters quite well. In fact, all the players on the field tonight were top scorers. İrfan has 17, Kerem has 15, Semih has 12, Hakan has 18, and Orkun has 7 goals. Our team enters the final 20 meters well, we just need to be a bit more clinical. I'm not worried in this regard because we are a productive team," he stated.

"AN ILLEGAL GOAL"

Stating that there was no individual defensive error in the second goal scored by Poland, the experienced coach said, "They took it from 15 meters ahead. 10 players are attacking against 6 players. I ask all teams; how do you defend against a throw-in taken incorrectly like that in the 90th minute, and how does it turn into an individual error when you concede a goal? We can discuss the first one, but I think the second one was an illegal goal. Maybe we need to understand the moments better, but should we have put another ball on the field for such a mistake? Were we supposed to be malicious?" he added.

"WE CAN IMPROVE BY WORKING"

"We were the team that was applying offensive pressure. We were pressing offensively up front," said the Italian coach, and continued:

"When you do this, you take risks. I both liked it and there are some moments we can improve, but one of the scenarios we will face in the next match will be the opponent dropping back. Sometimes we need to better understand the moments during the match when we need to wait in a block from the back. We can improve this by gaining experience and working on it."

"THE GOAL WE CONCEDED WAS AN UNFAIR GOAL"

Stating that every match is important even if it is a friendly, Vincenzo Montella said, "Our approach to the match and our desire were good. I just think the result is unfair. The goal we conceded was an unfair goal."

Montella also said that playing in Euro 2000 during his playing career was a special moment for him. The experienced coach said, "Our only bad luck was a final we lost with a goal conceded in the 95th minute. It was my dream as a coach to take part in European championships. Our motivation is high. It is not just my dream, but also my players' dream. We will do everything in our power for this," he said.