Sergen Yalçın's first match as Türkiye coach ended in a 2-1 defeat to Belgium in İzmir, and the way the game turned matters more than the scoreline.
Arda Güler gave the hosts the lead in the 20th minute with a free kick, which NTV Spor describes as exquisite. For half an hour Türkiye looked organised. Then Belgium struck twice in a three-minute spell around the 27th and 30th minutes, through De Bruyne and De Keteleare, and the hosts never recovered their shape.
Güler started the match in the eleven Yalçın picked, one of several changes to the side that had been under Vincenzo Montella. The report does not give a position for him, so the tactical role is not clear from the source. What it does show is that Güler's set-piece moment was the clearest sign the hosts could hurt Belgium, and that his goal was not enough to change the result.
The defeat leaves Türkiye on zero points from five Nations League Group 1 matches. They finish the campaign away to France on 15 November. For Güler, the immediate test is whether a player with a goal already on the board can keep his place in a side that has to rebuild its shape quickly.
