Turkiye aims for 2026, with pride expressed by Ozcan and Calhanoglu

Samet Akaydin's header against the Netherlands in Saturday's last-eight match placed Turkiye up 1-0 and set them up for a semi-final match against England.

But the Oranje took control of the game with two goals in six minutes in the second half, one from Stefan de Vrij's header and the other from Mert Muldur's own goal.

While having more shots (15 to 11) and expected goals (1.29 to 0.97 xG) than their opponents, Turkiye lost a number of good opportunities to tie the score in the closing minutes.
Turkiye will use the lessons learned from this tournament to the World Cup in two years, according to Ozcan, who claims his team has gained a lot of supporters along the way to the final eight.

"We are really depressed. I'd like to thank the crew; they all gave it their all. It's difficult to speak at the moment," Ozcan remarked. "I am really pleased with the group. Our current goal is 2026. 

"We want to thank our supporters for their incredible support; we are all quite touched. They were our rock from match to match; their assistance was invaluable."
"Unfortunately, we could only make it this far," stated Captain Calhanoglu, who topped all Turkiye players in passes attempted (52) and completed (48), as well as recoveries (seven) on Saturday.

"I'm glad we could infuse our country with excitement. We naturally wanted to keep going in this direction.
"Unfortunately, football involves losing as well. I want to thank all of our fans one more. We had a poor start to the second half and fell behind.  

"These events take place within the game. I'm honored to have made this progress. Everyone gave the best possible representation of their nation. I want to express my gratitude to my entire team."

The outcome was