Turkish Football Federation Board Member and A National Team Manager, Hamit Altıntop, defeated Portugal on the road on Thursday, 24 March, in the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup European Qualifications play-off tour, in Konya on 29 March with Italy or North Macedonia at the World Cup. He said that they want to play the final match to participate in the Cup.
Answering the questions of the members of the press at the hotel where the A National Football Team camped in Porto, Altıntop said, “After 10 qualifying matches, we made the play-offs second. It was a good draw, we can say the hardest draw. But we know what can happen in single matches like this. Definitely Portugal. Definitely. When you look at it, it has won the European Championship, has very valuable individual players, but we could see their shortcomings and weaknesses in the last home game against Serbia. We want to take advantage of this there and turn it into an opportunity. We can do this, we believe in our team. While I was still on the field in 2012 , Pepe and Cristiano Ronaldo were also on the pitch and we won 3-1. Yes it was a friendly match but we still won. We can repeat that on Thursday. I believe.” used the expressions.
Stating that the players in the team did not have a serious injury, Altıntop said, “There is nothing very serious, thank goodness. Our players will be followed in the trainings in the coming days. We will not risk any of them. They are all very valuable and valuable. If they have a chance to play, they will play, but in the last details we talked to the doctor, there is nothing serious. ” he said.
Underlining that the pressure will be on the host Portugal, Hamit Altıntop said, “We are playing in Portugal, they will be under the pressure. Favorites. We caught an atmosphere here with our new coach and player group. We want to continue this. We will not evaluate this as just a result. You can be sure of that. Of course, while there is such an opportunity, we seriously want to put everything into our hands and play the final on March 29. We want to play in Konya, in our country. It doesn’t matter if it’s Italy or North Macedonia. While there is such a great opportunity, every football player and every team has this opportunity. want to evaluate.” made its assessment.
“Hopefully, we will get a nice result with a nice football”
Altıntop said, “Stefan Kuntz said, ‘A team that the Turkish people will be proud of will be on the field’. Do you see this atmosphere in the team?” “We gathered today. But we have this weather. We started our work since our last match. After the draw, we had the opportunity to go into details. In this process, we increased our communication with the players and started our visits. The game plan was also discussed. The opposing team was analyzed. From today “We will spend a lot of team atmosphere, team atmosphere, resting more. I hope we will get a good result with good football on the match day in the best way and rested.” he replied.
Reminding that names such as Hamit Altıntop, Yusuf Yazıcı, Kerem Aktürkoğlu and Cengiz Ünder are in shape, he said, “Thank God the names in the team are in form. Most importantly, there will be no injuries. There will be ups and downs in performances. Let’s talk about Yusuf Yazıcı. After an incredible championship, for different reasons. He didn’t have much opportunity to play. We can’t say he played badly. He made a decision and changed the team. This is a situation that requires courage. He is in a leading position in his new team and it has a special importance that he has an impact on the score. We always knew that he was a good football player. He contributed to the score and It is important and valuable for us that he can keep his self-confidence constant.” made a statement.
“OUR PURPOSE IS CLEAR. WE WANT TO PASS THE TOUR.” USING HIS WORDS, ALTINTOP TALKED:
“There is no need to talk much about it. We want to pass the tour and we believe in it. We took our best precautions and precautions. But there are factors that represent a team, sincerity, communication and consultation. We also want continuity. We want to get away from bumpy football. “We want to get somewhere by building on that, improving quality, enlarging the pool. This is just a score indexed match, but our long-term goals will always be considered in our analysis. We want to pass this round, but if it brings us even a small step closer to our long-term goals, we will be satisfied.” “I hope we can fill the Turkish people, their values, their hopes, and make them happy. Football is a matter of the heart. Professionalism is definitely needed, but when you do it with your heart, good results will come at the end of the day.”