Article by Justin Gafiuc – Published on Thursday, 26 March 2026 23:12 / Updated on Thursday, 26 March 2026 23:13
Romania missed the seventh World Cup campaign in a row, losing narrowly in Istanbul, score 0-1in front of a star-studded Turkish national team. The “Tricolori” resisted well for the first 45 minutes, but Kadioglu's goal, scored immediately after the break, finally made the difference
Mircea Lucescu dreamed that he would lead Romania to a World Cup again after a 28-year wait, but the plan collapsed on the shores of the Bosphorus, where he had once been “sultan” on the bench at Galatasaray or Beşiktaş.
The “tricolors” blocked the opponent well in the first part of the match, when they closed the lanes well, the dubbing scheme worked unexpectedly correctly. A single clearance just after the break allowed Kadioglu to score and decide the game.
It was almost clear for the Romanians that an opening score would put them in serious trouble, and a 1-0 on the scoreboard for Turkey would hang like a millstone. That's what happened, and Hagi jr. and company will watch the World Cup this summer on TV. The marks reflect the balance of forces on the pitch.
The marks received by the football players of Turkey:
- Çakir – 6. Without spectacular interventions, he was in the goal for a long time
- Muldur – 6. He stayed more in the “box”, Turkey's right flank was not great
- Akaydin – 7. He held Bîrligea back, and the Romanian striker did not breathe.
- Bardacci – 7. Solid, confident in interventions, simple defensive play
- Kadioglu – 9. He scored the qualification goal for Turkey, masterfully infiltrating Radu's box.
- Yuksek – 7. He closed well in front of the defense, diverted with his head Ianis Hagi's completion from the first half, a ball that was going dangerously towards the goal.
- Calhanoglu – 7. He was not a front man, he preferred to work from the shadows, being the man of balance and construction of Turkey
- Yilmaz – 6. Quite absent in the game, that's also because the Turks mainly focused on the opposite lane than his
- Collar – 8. Magistrate! He provided the moment to assist Kadioglu's goal, with his mobility he chopped the defensive module of the “tricolors”
- Yildiz – 8. He destroyed Rațiu and collaborated fantastically in the connection with Arda Guler, a couple on which the whole game of Turkey was based
- Akturkoglu – 6. Man of sacrifice. Specially posted by Montella in outposts to keep your stoppers stuck and dislocate so they create spaces for the second line guys
- Vincenzo Montella, coach – 8. He got almost everything in terms of strategy right, from the tactical score to the selection of the first “11”, plus, of course, the qualification of rigor
Along the way they also entered:
- Kokcu (78) – played too little to be rated.
- Kabak (90) – played too little to be noted.
- Irfan Kahveci (90) – played too little to be rated.
How did the “tricolors” do
- I. Radu – 7. He had some very good interventions, no fault for the Turks' goal.
- Ratio – 4. Made “porridge” in the first half by Kenan Yildiz, he also appeared late on Kedioglu's goal kick.
- Cute – 6. A great intervention in the first half on an action by Yildiz.
- Burqa – 6. Too slow at times.
- Bank – 6. He did a good job on the flank, it also helped that our offensive intentions were very timid.
- R. Marin – 5. Many lost balls in the center of the field, lacking in duels.
- V. Dragomir – 6. He ran enormously in the first half when he looked ubiquitous. He also lost speed after the break under the total siege of the Crescent.
- Man – 6. Very good in the first 45 minutes, when his dubbing operations at Ratiu often proved disastrous. He could not bring his offensive skills to fruition in a non-stop state strategy in anticipation
- I. Hagi – 5. A finish rejected by Yuksek and otherwise none of the sparkle expected from the few attacking chances. He did not take risks of individual actions
- Mihaila – 5. He doubled at Bancu, zero on the offensive side.
- Bîrligea – 5. Caught in the clutches of the Turkish stoppers and deprived of a supply flow of balls, he could only fail towards anonymity.
- Mircea Lucescu, coach – 5. End of mandate.
Along the way they also entered:
- Fl. Tănase (66) – 5. He did not bring anything extra to the field.
- Stanciu (71) – 6. He invented the phase in the 77th minute, when the ball hit the crossbar. A few millimeters to the right and history could be rewritten!
- Miculescu (87) – played too little to be scored.
- Baiaram (87) – played too little to be scored.
Francois Letexier, referee – 7. Hassle free arbitration.
Cyril Mugnier, Mehdi Rahmouni (assistants) – 7. Both scorers were prompt and correct in difficult offside phases.
