Turkey's World Cup squad apologizes to nation after Paraguay defeat

Turkey's national football team lost 0:1 to Paraguay in the second round of the 2026 World Cup group stage and was eliminated from the tournament alongside Haiti. After the match, players and manager publicly apologized to the nation.

Turkey's national football team has been eliminated from the 2026 World Cup after a 0:1 defeat to Paraguay in the group stage. Along with Haiti, the Turks are the second team to secure an early exit before the third round begins.

Players in tears on the pitch

After the match, Turkish players made no effort to hide their disappointment. Midfielder Arda Güler said: "We are very sad and feel ashamed. We apologize to the entire nation. In future tournaments we will do our best. We play for big clubs and should have proven ourselves here too."

Turkish goalkeeper Ugurcan Çakır added: "I apologize to my country. We wanted to make everyone proud, but we failed. Expectations were high, but we did not meet them. I also want to apologize to all those who came to watch us at the World Cup. There is nothing to say about the match. We gave everything, fought with all our strength, but it was not enough."

Montella: football is not always fair

Manager Vincenzo Montella took the result philosophically, but acknowledged that defeats are hard to swallow. "The team showed its character and fought until the last breath. We must accept these results, even though there is no logic in them. Football is the king of sports for a reason and sometimes the best team simply does not win. That is sport," said the Italian coach.

Turkey's defeats came by wide margins; in the opening match they lost 0:2 to Australia. The team that entered the tournament with high expectations has failed to score even once.

On the same evening and early Sunday morning, several exciting matches will be played in groups E and F, including a crucial clash between the Netherlands and Sweden, and Germany facing Ivory Coast.

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