Türkiye took a big step toward promotion to League A of the UEFA Nations League with a commanding 3-1 victory over Hungary in the first leg of the play-off, held at a packed Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex RAMS Park in Istanbul.
Goals from Orkun Kökçü, Kerem Aktürkoğlu, and İrfan Can Kahveci sealed an important win for the national team, with András Schäfer netting Hungary’s lone goal.
The match was played in front of a high-profile audience that included Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak, Turkish Football Federation President İbrahim Ethem Hacıosmanoğlu, Hungarian Football Federation President Sándor Csányi, Istanbul Governor Davut Gül, TFF Honorary President Şenes Erzik, and club presidents and officials from both federations.
Kökçü opened the scoring in the 9th minute with a precise finish, but Hungary responded through Schäfer in the 25th to level the match. The Crescent-Stars regained control in the second half, with Aktürkoğlu putting Türkiye ahead in the 69th minute, before substitute Kahveci added a third just four minutes later to give the home side a comfortable advantage heading into the second leg.
Stefan Kuntz’s side now travel to Budapest, where they will face Hungary again at the Puskás Aréna on March 23. The aggregate winner will earn a place in UEFA Nations League A for the next edition of the competition.
Match Details
Stadium: Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex RAMS Park, Istanbul
Referee Team: Ivan Kružliak, Branislav Hancko, Ján Pozor (Slovakia)
Türkiye XI: Uğurcan Çakır; Kaan Ayhan (27′ Mert Müldür), Samet Akaydın, Abdülkerim Bardakcı, Eren Elmalı; Oğuz Aydın (72′ İrfan Can Kahveci), Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Orkun Kökçü (72′ İsmail Yüksek); Kerem Aktürkoğlu (85′ Can Uzun), Kenan Yıldız, Barış Alper Yılmaz (46′ Deniz Gül)
Hungary XI: Dénes Dibusz; Attila Fiola, Willi Orbán, Márton Dárdai, Bendegúz Bolla (90+2′ Attila Osváth); Alex Nikitscher (90+2′ Dániel Gazdag), András Schäfer (46′ Mihály Kata), Ádám Nagy (78′ Kevin Csoboth); Dominik Szoboszlai, Milos Kerkez, Barnabás Varga (70′ Tibor Szabó)
Goals:
- 9′ Orkun Kökçü (Türkiye)
- 25′ András Schäfer (Hungary)
- 69′ Kerem Aktürkoğlu (Türkiye)
- 73′ İrfan Can Kahveci (Türkiye)
Yellow Cards:
- Türkiye: Orkun Kökçü (41′)
- Hungary: Schäfer (19′), Nagy (64′), Kata (77′)
The stage is now set for a decisive second leg in Budapest, where Türkiye will aim to protect their two-goal advantage and return to the top tier of Nations League competition.