Following Turkey's successful Europa League group stage victory over Georgia, Turkish captain Çalhanoglu gave an interview to share his thoughts on the match and his team's performance.
Çalhanoglu began by talking about the execution of the game strategy, "We managed to realize our plans on the field. For example, in the first 30 minutes, we planned to put pressure on our opponents and create difficulties, which we did." He mentioned that the game could have been smoother if the second goal had not been ruled offside. The team backed off a bit after the score became 1-1, but that didn't affect their fighting spirit or tempo.
On the second half, Çalhanoglu said, "Our concentration never waned and we stayed in the game throughout. Although our opponents had occasional chances, Akayden made a very good block. We always believed and never gave up until the last minute." He emphasized that the 3-1 victory was a result of the team's concerted efforts and that it was a great pleasure for the entire team to win the first game as expected.
Çalhanoglu also singled out the performances of Mildir and Güler: "I'm very happy for them, they scored crucial goals. But the important thing is that it's not about who scored the goal, it's a victory for the whole team. Everyone showed great athleticism today."
Talking about the team's spirit, Çalhanoglu mentioned that the spirit of 2008 is very important to them and strives to embody that spirit on the field. He emphasized that the team's only goal is to keep moving forward, showing fight and effort. The team has been training hard for the past three weeks and the result of today's game shows that all the effort was worth it.
Finally, Çalhanoglu said that although there are occasional mistakes, the team will analyze and improve to become stronger in future games. He emphasized that the team always remains calm and has unlimited respect for all opponents. Today, every player rewarded the national team jersey with a performance that made the whole team very happy and proud.
