Turkish midfielder Kirk Qu was interviewed by Portuguese radio and television after Turkey's Europa League group match against Portugal. Kökçü is currently playing in the Portuguese league, so he has an in-depth knowledge of Portuguese soccer.
In the interview, Kirkcrank began by analyzing the match, saying, "We've known for a long time that Portugal is a strong team, which I experienced when I played in the Portuguese league. They have a lot of quality players, so this game was very difficult for us. They won the game and played better than us and we must congratulate them. Now we need to focus on the last game and give our best."
Speaking about Turkey's offensive and defensive balance in the game, Kirkcrank argued, "We had a plan, but it wasn't quite in place during the execution. Against a strong team like Portugal, things will be even more difficult if we make the same mistakes again."
Kirkcrank also mentioned exchanges with Portuguese players João Neves and Antonio Silva. He said, "We had some exchanges before the match, but I didn't have a chance to talk to them further after the match because of anti-doping controls. However, Joao and I exchanged jerseys. They are both very good players and I'm sure they will have great careers."
Finally, when asked if Portugal were the favorites to win this year's Euros, Kirkcrank didn't hesitate to say, "Portugal have a strong team with high ambitions and are undoubtedly a popular candidate to compete for the title."
