Might we eventually look back on Francisco Conceição’s winning goal as one of the pivotal moments of this season? Francisco Conceição was dead, as he recalls it, but the chance wasn’t, the cross from his teammate Andrea Cambiaso only cleared to the edge of the penalty box. Randal Kolo Muani tamed the ball and retained it as he was assailed by five Inter defenders who arrived one at a time like henchmen in a Hollywood movie: allowing him to overcome each of them in turn. He evaded Hakan Calhanoglu with a half-step backwards, leaving the Turkey captain to fall under his own momentum, held off Nicolò Barella, dragged the ball back under his boot to spin away from Henrikh Mkhitaryan, flicked it across Francesco Acerbi with the outside of his boot and then poked it with a toe beyond Carlos Augusto and into the path of Conceição. Continue reading...

Fiorentina and Inter players had squabbled over a VAR check before the hosts’ midfielder suffered a cardiac arrest Before Edoardo Bove fell, it had seemed as though a disallowed goal was the most important thing in the world. Fiorentina and Inter were waiting for a VAR check to confirm whether the ball really had gone out as Denzel Dumfries set up Lautaro Martínez to score in the 17th minute of their top-four clash. Players and coaches voiced their disagreement in the usual theatrical terms. And then, it did not matter at all. Bove had not involved himself in the discussion, waiting in the far half of the pitch. He dropped to a knee for a moment, presumed to be tying a shoelace, but in fact using his hands to steady himself on the turf. After standing back up, he took a handful of steps then collapsed beside Hakan Calhanoglu. Continue reading...

Updates from Group B4 match, kick-off 5pm GMTAny thoughts and comments? Send them to Scott Craig Bellamy talks to S4C with the atmosphere in the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri already bubbling up nicely. “Mark Harris is a dangerous profile … speed, looking to stretch the game … definitely a player for this type of game … the first 15-20 minutes will be massive but it will settle down … there’s a lot of scenarios that could arise … you have to embrace it … we’ve done enough meetings … hopefully we’ll be able to find solutions when they occur … adapt to situations … that’s really the test for tonight … this is football, it’s why it’s the greatest game in the world … I have full trust in the players, I believe they’re a lot better than I was … these moments … you have to take a step back .. this is why, to come here in an atmosphere like this … it’s going to be a test of course … but life’s about that, surely … whatever the outcome, I’m looking forward to what happens!” Turkey – or Türkiye, to give them their Fifa-recognised name; the FAW haven’t pushed the button on Cymru yet – are much changed from the team sent out for the 0-0 draw in Cardiff back in early September. Merih Demiral, Kerem Aktürkoğlu, Eren Elmalı, Yunus Akgün and captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu all start, replacing that day’s selection of Zeki Çelik, İsmail Yüksek and Kaan Ayhan, who are on the bench, and Çağlar Söyüncü and Kenan Yıldız, who are not in the squad. Continue reading...

Mikel Arteta’s problems keep on mounting. In the week that they were rocked by the surprise resignation of sporting director Edu, Arsenal surrendered their unbeaten record in the Champions League after Hakan Calhanoglu kept up his record of never having missed a penalty for Inter to score the only goal of a tightly contested game. It was an exasperating occasion for Arteta, who was booked in the second half for handball and came close to being sent to the stands as his side searched for an equaliser. But despite a much-improved second-half display that saw the visitors rack up 13 corners to Inter’s none, they sank to a second successive 1-0 away defeat. Continue reading...

Watch highlights as Arsenal's stuttering start to the season continues as they slump to a 1-0 defeat to Inter Milan at the San Siro after a first-half penalty from Hakan Calhanoglu.

Turkey’s golden generation owes little to domestic academies but Galatasaray, who face Spurs next week, are at least starting to move away from high-earning veterans Turkish football is having a bit of a moment. Teenager Kenan Yildiz – recently given the No 10 shirt at Juventus and a contract until 2029 – was the saviour for the Bianconeri at the weekend, scoring two late goals in the Derby d’Italia to earn a remarkable 4-4 draw at Inter. Hakan Calhanoglu was sidelined for that match but on Monday he became the first Turkish man to feature on the Ballon d’Or shortlist since 2003, finishing 20th above Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer, among others. Oh, and then there’s Real Madrid’s Arda Güler, the nation’s unequivocal poster boy, who was voted the second best young player in the world – behind only Lamine Yamal – in the Ballon d’Or’s Kopa Trophy award. Bolstered by these talents playing overseas, Turkey look stronger than they have in decades, and were unfortunate not to beat Netherlands in their Euro 2024 quarter-final. Yet of the 10 outfield players that started against the Dutch, only four players were born in the country, or brought through a Turkish academy. The pathway for domestic-based Turkish talent remains filled with obstacles. Continue reading...

Watch Turkey captain Hakan Calhanoglu put Turkey ahead moments after a great save from Jindrich Stanek at Euro 2024.

Euro 2024 news from the 5pm BST kick-off in DortmundPlayer interactive | Read Euro 2024 Daily | And mail Daniel Back to the teams, Turkey aren’t going to die wondering – Hakan Calhanoglu is at the base of midfield, and he’s no one’s idea of a defender, and in front of him, the trident of Guler, Kokcu and Yildiz looks nasty. Turkey have, though, been in miserable recent form after qualifying well – their most recent games have been a 1-0 defeat to Hungary, a 6-1 defeat to Austria, a 0-0 draw with Italy and a 2-1 defeat to Poland. It won’t take much to get them going again, but they’ve not actually played since March so might need time to get going. I bet Gareth Southgate regrets leaving Marcus Rashford out now. He’d feel right at home here. Continue reading...

Head coach Vincenzo Montella has transformed the team, trusting in youngsters such as Arda Guler This article is part of the Guardian’s Euro 2024 Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 24 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from two countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 14 June. Continue reading...