Rome, 20 June (LaPresse) – “I’m absolutely gutted. There were huge expectations on behalf of the nation, and our own expectations were very high too. I’m also very sorry on behalf of our football association. I know full well how hard our players have worked. Normally, something like this happens once every 50 matches. We had 65 shots in two matches; I don’t even want to talk about possession. Fate wasn’t on our side. I told the players: ‘You gave it your all. As they say, there’s no escaping fate…’”. So said Vincenzo Montella, Turkey’s head coach, after the 1-0 defeat to Paraguay and their elimination from the World Cup after two matches. “I’m not saying ‘they could have done more, they could have done better’. I always look at the players’ ambition. Everyone fought with incredible commitment and ambition. Everyone worked hard and gave their all, attending training sessions consistently, but unfortunately it didn’t work out,” added the manager.
2026 World Cup, Montella: “We had 65 shots in two matches; fate wasn’t on our side”
Rome, 20 June (LaPresse) – “I’m absolutely gutted. There were huge expectations on behalf of the nation, and our own expectations were very high too. I’m also very sorry on behalf of our football association. I know full well how hard our players have worked. Normally, something like this happens once every 50 matches. We had 65 shots in two matches; I don’t even want to talk about possession. Fate wasn’t on our side. I told the players: ‘You gave it your all. As they say, there’s no escaping fate…’”. So said Vincenzo Montella, Turkey’s head coach, after the 1-0 defeat to Paraguay and their elimination from the World Cup after two matches. “I’m not saying ‘they could have done more, they could have done better’. I always look at the players’ ambition. Everyone fought with incredible commitment and ambition. Everyone worked hard and gave their all, attending training sessions consistently, but unfortunately it didn’t work out,” added the manager.
