In the upcoming one-eighth final of the UEFA Europa League on July 3, Beijing time, the Turkish team will face the Austrian team. Before the match, Turkish striker Tosun was interviewed, sharing his historic moments in the national team, his expectations of his teammates, his evaluation of the opponents and his outlook for the future matches.
Tosun began by talking about how he felt about becoming the oldest Euro goal scorer in the history of the Turkish national team, "I don't know if it's something to be proud of, but to score in the Euro at the age of 33 was really a wonderful experience for me. It makes me very happy. I was at Euro 2016 but didn't score then, which was a shame for me, and I missed Euro 2020 again because of injury, so it means a lot to me to score this time."
Speaking about the goal against the Czech Republic, Tosun said, "The goal in that game was very important for me because it was my first goal at Euro 2024. I feel very honored to be one of the three oldest goal scorers in Turkey's Euro history along with Yilmaz and Çalhanoglu. I have great respect for both of them and it is an honor to play alongside them."
Tosun expressed his satisfaction with the current configuration of the Turkish squad: "We have young and talented players in the team as well as experienced veterans. This combination is great because it ensures that we have both drive and stability in the game. As veterans, we want to help the younger players grow and avoid them making the same mistakes we have made."
Talking about the upcoming match against Austria, Tosun expressed full respect: "Austria is a very good team, they are ranked first in the group stage, which is enough to prove their strength. They have strong physical quality and excellent tactical skills. We have played against them recently and have a better understanding of their strengths. But we also know that the game is a 90-minute contest and any result can happen."
Commenting on the Turkish team's 1-6 loss to Austria in a friendly match in March, Tosun said, "That defeat was disappointing for us but we learned from it. Defeat in a friendly is not scary because it gives us a chance to correct our mistakes. We will be in our best shape to appear in the Europa League and bring exciting games to our fans."
Finally, Tosun also mentioned his famous goal in the 2016/17 Champions League: "That goal is still unforgettable for me. People still stop and talk to me about that goal in the street. I almost stayed up that night because I watched the goal on my phone about 500 times. There are no words to express the joy and sense of accomplishment. Of course, scoring the goal was important, but what was more important was that the team was able to advance to the next round."
