Calhanoglu: Losing to Portugal is not the end of the world

Turkey national team captain Hakan Calhanoglu discussed their 0-3 loss to Portugal in the second round of the group stage and addressed the external criticism of his performance in an interview.

"Losing to Portugal is not the end of the world. Our goal from the beginning was to advance from the group, and we still have that chance. The result against Portugal was not what we wanted, but everything is not over yet. We have another match, and we believe we can do it," Calhanoglu said.

"Some things didn't go our way in the match against Portugal. In football, sometimes you encounter bad luck. After the match, we had a discussion within the team. We must look forward, and we hope to ultimately advance from the group."

"Criticism? It's unfortunate, but on the field, there is a Calhanoglu who is running and fighting, yet still couldn't help the team achieve the desired result. If I am playing, I will fight; if I am not on the field, I will cheer for the team. Criticism is part of the game, especially in the Turkish national team. I try to meet the coach's expectations. This is not just about me; it's about the entire national team. If I were affected by the criticism, I wouldn't be here."