· 2 min readIn this Turkiye vs France match, I analyse the key tactical moments, individual performances and turning points of the game.
The first game after the World Cup brought together a Turkey side looking to restore some credibility and a France team starting a new era with Zidane on the bench. The quality of the French team was obvious, but the big question was how this attack would work with Mbappé back on the left wing. The idea looked right and, from the start, that was exactly where the danger came from.
Turkey created a hostile atmosphere, booing the French national anthem, but on the pitch they had a very clear plan. They defended in a 5-4-1 when they dropped back, closed the spaces really well and made it difficult for France to find their most creative players.
For long periods, it worked. In the 17th minute, Mbappé had the first real chance of the game but failed to make the most of it after a pass from Olise. Until the 24th minute, that was still the only shot of the game.
France had 70% possession and seven players had already touched the ball more times than Arda Güler, the first Turkish player on that list. And that was exactly the problem: lots of the ball, very little danger.
If Turkey wanted to really threaten France, they needed to find Güler. The youngster was clearly the most talented player in the team, but he was being very well controlled.
Still, France kept creating through individual quality. Cherki and Olise were simply magical, and in the 40th minute Cherki had a huge chance after a counter-attack. He received from Dembélé, entered the box and, after taking one touch too many, saw Demiral make a huge tackle. The Turkish centre-back was having a great game. Shortly after, Olise curled a shot towards the top corner and Çakir made a fantastic save. France really should have been ahead.
Turkey only had a few moments of their own, but they could have made more of their counter-attacks. The score at half-time was not unfair, although France had seen much more of the ball and created the better chances.
The second half started with Turkey looking more aggressive and Yüksek had a huge chance in the 50th minute, completely unmarked from a corner, but headed badly. He had to do better.
Then, four minutes later, Mbappé appeared. Can Uzun made a mistake playing out, Olise drove inside and found the Frenchman wide on the left. Mbappé received the ball and placed it into the near corner. 0-1. An important goal for France, but with one negative: Mbappé picked up an injury during the move, complained about his knee and was eventually replaced by Doué in the 58th minute.
Turkey grew after the goal and started taking more risks. That made the game more open, but it also gave France more space to attack. In the 69th minute, Cherki found Koundé, who left his marker behind with a fake shot before hitting the post. It was exactly the kind of danger Turkey were allowing by pushing higher up the pitch.
Interestingly, Turkey finished the second half with twice as many shots as France, ten to five, although both teams had two on target.
The Turkish side kept trying until the end, but they were also making too many defensive mistakes. In the 85th minute, Çakir came out of his area to stop Barcola and appeared to handle the ball. VAR confirmed the red card in the 87th minute, making Turkey’s attempt to find an equaliser even more difficult.
Post-match
In the end, we have to be honest: it was not a great first game for France under Zidane. They won, had more talent and controlled most of the game, but they left a lot to be desired creatively.
Turkey competed well and Güler had a very good game, clearly looking like the team’s main reference point. France got the win, but there is still a lot of work to do.
