Turkish media reacts to bankruptcy
“The hype has given way to disillusionment”
June 14, 2026 – 10:29 amReading time: 2 minutes
Turkey suffered a surprising defeat at the start of the World Cup. An ex-professional struggles, the public reacts with disappointment.
Turkey had imagined it completely differently: Vincenzo Montella’s team suffered a surprising 2-0 defeat against Australia in their first World Cup game in 24 years on Sunday morning. Former national player Halil Altıntop, who worked as an expert for MagentaTV at this final round, tried to classify the situation after the final whistle.
“It was difficult to create chances because the Australians defended very, very well,” he said, acknowledging the opponent’s performance. Against such defensive formations, it’s important to “make decisions at the right moment and score a goal. There were two or three really good chances that unfortunately we couldn’t take advantage of.”
Instead, the Australians even went further in the final phase after the opening goal by former Bayern professional Nestory Irankunda (27th minute). Connor Metcalfe, a FC St. Pauli player, made the final score 2-0 with his goal in the 75th minute. “One thing leads to another,” Altıntop complained. “Then there was another disorderly situation that the Australians took advantage of to make it 2-0.”
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The disappointment over the failed start can also be read in the Turkish reporting. “Our national football team, which took part in a World Cup for the first time in 24 years, had a disappointing start. The whole country was sitting in front of the television at 7 a.m. hoping for a victory, but Australia secured the three points,” writes the newspaper “Sözcü”.
“Hürriyet.de”, the German branch of the Turkish daily newspaper, spoke of a “World Cup shock for Turkey”. “gazetefutbol.com”, a German-language portal for Turkish football, was even clearer: “The hype has given way to disillusionment.”
The Turkish national team already has the chance to do better on Saturday. From 5 a.m. they will face Paraguay (in the live ticker on t-online). The end of the group phase is the duel with hosts USA.