In the quarter-final of the European Cup on July 7, Turkey lost 1-2 to the Netherlands and did not qualify for the quarter-finals. After the match, Turkish international Çalhanoglu accepted an interview with media reporters, summarizing the match and looking forward to the future.
Çalhanoglu showed a certain amount of helplessness and regret about the loss: "We lost the game, it's a fact we have to accept and it's part of soccer. We had chances to take the lead, but conceding two goals in five minutes really hurt us. We tried to attack again in the closing stages of the game but unfortunately we weren't able to capitalize on our chances."
However, Çalhanoglu was not discouraged and emphasized the positive attitude and team spirit his team showed during the game: "Even though we lost the game, we still need to be proud of ourselves. No one thought we would make it this far, but we did. We showed tenacity and team spirit, which is our biggest takeaway."
Speaking about the future of the team, Çalhanoglu showed strong confidence: "This tournament will take us forward. euro 2032 is very important for us and we will use this tournament as an opportunity to gain experience and learn from it. It's the first time most of our players have played in such a big tournament, and this experience will be very valuable for us. As long as we are united and work together, I believe we can achieve more."
In addition, Çalhanoglu made special mention of the support of the fans: "Our fans stood up and applauded us at the final whistle, which is very important for us. Their support is a source of motivation for us. We will continue to train hard, improve and bring more exciting games to our fans."
