Turkey defeats Greece 2-1 in friendly match

ANKARA

Turkey defeated Greece 2-1 in friendly match late on March 30 in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya.

Turkey’s goals came in the first half, when Roma midfielder Cengiz Ünder showed off with a beautiful strike to top right corner in the 11th minute.

Only six minutes later, Ünder served Kenan Karaman for a second goal, the Fortuna Düsseldorf striker’s debut with the top-tier national squad.

Karaman said in a post-game interview that he would like to appear as a strong alternative to regular strikers – Cenk Tosun of Everton and Burak Yılmaz of Beşiktaş – in the national team.

“I learned that I would be out on the pitch only one day before the game. I did all I could and am happy to score,” he said.

Greece found the net before the last whistle to settle the score to 2-1.

Turkey coach Şenol Güneş regretted the last minute goal by rival’s Dimitris Kourbelis.

“The goal difference could have been much higher and this shows us what little mistakes can cost,” he said.

On June 8, Saturday, Turkey will take on world champion France in UEFA Euro 2020 qualification match.

It has won its first two games against Group H rivals Albania and Moldova in late March and is behind France with a single goal difference. Iceland and Angola are the other two Group H teams in the tough qualification race.