Turks draw Denmark in 500th international meeting

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Turkish forward Mevlüt Erdinç, who plays for French Ligue 1 side Rennes, celebrates his goal during the national team’s 1-1 draw against Denmark. AA photo

Turkey was held to a 1-1 draw against Denmark on Nov. 14 in the country’s 500th national football team game.

Rennes forward Mevlüt Erdinç responded to a penalty goal by Danish Nicklas Bendtner to set up the score in the milestone match at the Türk Telekom Arena in Istanbul.

Coach Abdullah Avcı refused to be upset with the draw, which came after back-to-back defeats against Romania and Hungary that put Turkey’s 2014 World Cup qualification in danger.

“This game was more about how well our young players would do,” he said. “In the first half, we could not stop the opponent but in the second half we took control of the game.”

Cardiff City’s Kerim Frei, Eskişehirspor attacker Alper Potuk and Gençlerbirliği player Soner Aydoğdu were the fresh faces on the Turkish squad.

The Denmark game was Turkey’s last match this year.