Türkiye moved within one game of a World Cup return as Ferdi Kadioglu's second-half goal secured a 1-0 win over Romania in their play-off semi-final on Thursday, following a moment of brilliance from Arda Guler.
In a high-stakes encounter at Besiktas Park on Thursday, the deadlock was broken in the 53rd minute when Real Madrid midfielder Guler produced a superb defence-splitting pass to pick out Kadioglu, who controlled and finished calmly to give Türkiye the lead.
Guler said the move had been discussed in the dressing room at halftime as Türkiye looked to break down Romania’s defensive block.
"We discussed the goal at the halftime break. I would get the ball, and Ferdi would make a run into the penalty box. It happened exactly how we planned it," he told Turkish broadcaster TV8.
Türkiye grew in confidence after going ahead and came close to doubling their advantage shortly afterwards, with Juventus' Kenan Yildiz cutting in from the left and striking the crossbar with a superb curling effort.
Romania pushed forward in search of an equaliser but were unable to break through as Türkiye held firm to see out the victory.
The win sends Türkiye into the playoff final on March 31, where they will face Slovakia or Kosovo for a place at the 2026 World Cup.
