Sports writers evaluate the Turkey vs. Iceland match: 'Peace of mind is a wonderful thing'

The Turkish National Football Team faced Iceland in the UEFA Nations League B Group 4 match.

Kerem Aktürkoğlu left his mark on the match played at İzmir Gürsel Aksel Stadium.

The Crescent-Stars won the match 3-1, with Kerem Aktürkoğlu scoring a hat-trick.

The performance of Kerem Aktürkoğlu, who transferred from Galatasaray to Benfica, has been impressive.

Sports writers evaluated Turkey's 3-1 victory against Iceland.

SERKAN AKCAN: "PEACE OF MIND!"

“With a captain who is a Ballon d'Or nominee and a superstar among the 10 players nominated for the Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best young player of the year, it can easily be said that we have one of the best squads in our history. Montella, who returned to a four-man defense against Iceland, initially saw a positive impact on the game by leaving Kenan Yıldız out and using Kerem on the left and Umut Nayir as the center-forward. But afterwards, we kept searching for that dominant center-forward. Last night, Kerem Aktürkoğlu of Benfica looked much more comfortable compared to Kerem Aktürkoğlu of Galatasaray. Kerem's physical form was as remarkable as his mental form. Of course, it was pleasing to watch a wonderful performance from Eren Elmalı supporting him. Eren also made a big difference... Montella says he will shape the team according to the opponent. Yesterday, he showed us some passages against Iceland. However, while we were under pressure from Iceland beyond expectations for 15 minutes from the 55th to the 70th minute, it was expected that Montella would intervene in the game earlier.” (FANATİK)

HAŞİM ŞAHİN: "THE FIRST BUTTON!"

“Arda Güler, who could not display the expected performance in the first half, officially turned into a maestro in the second half once Hakan Çalhanoğlu was off the pitch. Arda Güler was undoubtedly the hero of delivering the ball to the right place at the right time with his peripheral vision and technique, acting as the lead player in the second and third goals of Kerem Aktürkoğlu, who scored a hat-trick. Arda Güler played magnificently, especially in the second half. But we were also living witnesses last night to how İsmail Yüksek, Eren Elmalı, Abdülkerim Bardakçı, and Kerem Aktürkoğlu shone like diamonds throughout the match. Meanwhile, I would like to underline in bold that I find it strange that the Italian head coach did not—or could not—take precautions against set-pieces, which are Iceland's most important weapon. As you can see, it seems that when you button the first button correctly, things go well. Isn't that right, Mr. Vincenzo Montella?” (FANATİK)

LEVENT TÜZEMEN: "KEREM AKTÜRKOĞLU DELIVERED A RECITAL"

“Kerem of Benfica seemed to send a message to the Galatasaray management, saying, 'You will miss me a lot, a whole lot.' Kerem did not just dazzle with his goals; he was the shining star of the night with his enthusiasm, diligence, ambition, and hyperactive presence. While Iceland found a goal in the first half from a single attack and a set-piece, the National Team was very dominant in the game and never lost its passing superiority; we created serious attacks. Arda Güler, who combines his intellect with his talented feet, was like a maestro; he was successful in beating his markers and delivered measured passes to his teammates while initiating the attack. The most important feature of the national players was that they intelligently moved the game to the opposite flank to escape the congested play and the high-level physical pressure from the Icelandic players in the front court.” (SABAH)

BURCU KAPU: "PEACE OF MIND IS A WONDERFUL THING"

“We can attribute the early goal against Iceland to the pressing routine of our players in the right positions, or to the fact that the opponent's defense was slow... But I want to give credit to Kerem, who scored all three goals. Isn't peace of mind a wonderful thing? Think about it yourself. The serenity that comes with that comfort multiplies self-confidence and boosts performance. Kerem played with the ease of knowing he will no longer play in Turkey and, consequently, will not be subjected to ruthless criticism. His quality was always evident, but he couldn't reflect it on the pitch when his mind wasn't at ease. Did the fans who criticized a player who contributed to 88 goals during his time at Galatasaray say yesterday, 'There is a kid at Benfica, I wish he would come to us'?” (MİLLİYET)

UĞUR MELEKE: "GÜRSEL AKSEL SHOULD BE THE NATIONAL TEAM STADIUM"

"Yesterday, 20 thousand of our proud citizens at Gürsel Aksel Stadium fired up our players with chants of 'Long live Mustafa Kemal Pasha.' Gürsel Aksel's capacity may not be 50 thousand, but they are very passionate and very effective. I think our national team should play in İzmir more often. In fact, with this energy, Gürsel Aksel could easily become the national team stadium." (HÜRRİYET)