Wales’ chances of qualifying for Euro 2024 suffered another significant blow when Turkey emerged as 2-0 victors in a European qualifier that featured a red card, a penalty miss, and two additional goals disallowed through Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decisions.
It was an extraordinary match in Samsun where Turkey had two goals disallowed after VAR reviews, while Danny Ward, Wales’ goalkeeper, made a save from Hakan Calhanoglu’s penalty. However, in the final minutes of the game, substitute Umut Nayir and an impressive strike by Arda Guler led to two goals for the home team within a span of eight minutes.
However, the pivotal moment in the match occurred just before halftime when Joe Morrell was shown a straight red card for a challenge on Ferdi Kadioglu, despite making contact with the ball.
Following the red card, Turkey seized control of the game, and this defeat places Wales second from the bottom in their group, making it extremely challenging for them to secure a spot in the playoffs and qualify for Euro 2024 next summer.
“The sending off completely changed the game, and I expressed my thoughts to the team: I’m proud of my players for their dedication,” stated Wales manager Rob Page in his post-match comments. “However, they shouldn’t have been forced to work so hard with ten men. We should have maintained enough discipline to keep all eleven players on the field.”
This marks the second game in which Wales has received a red card, as Kieffer Moore was also sent off following an altercation with the Armenia goalkeeper during their 4-2 defeat in Cardiff on Friday.
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