14.06.2026 13:10
Speaking after the match where the National Team lost 2-0 to Australia, Nihat Kahveci harshly criticized both the players and head coach Vincenzo Montella. The experienced commentator especially reacted to the substitutions made in the final part of the game.
After losing to Australia in its first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Turkish National Team caused great sorrow in the football community. Evaluating the match afterward, Nihat Kahveci said, "Honestly, this will be a tough broadcast, friends. We were very hopeful, very happy, very proud. Right now, I personally am very sad, experiencing a huge disappointment."
"NO ONE DID THEIR JOB"
Kahveci, harshly criticizing the national team's performance on the field, stated that the players fell short of expectations. The former national footballer said, "Our players who needed to score goals did not play as required. Our players from whom we expected physical struggle did not deliver. Our defenders, who we thought would contain the opponent's forward, could not do their job. I am disappointed because we watched a national team where even Uğurcan did not do his job."
"WE COULDN'T EVEN PLAY THE B-VERSION OF OUR GAME"
Kahveci, noting that Australia executed their match plan flawlessly, expressed that Turkey remained far from its own level. Kahveci said, "Australia took the good thing they did while coming and brought it 100 minutes into this match. As for us, no matter how we got here, we couldn't even play the B-version of the expected game. We lost badly, we lost by conceding bad goals."
CRITICISM OF MONTELLA'S SUBSTITUTIONS
Nihat Kahveci's harshest criticism was directed at Vincenzo Montella's moves. The experienced commentator said, "Minute 81, the match was 2-0. İsmail and Zeki come off, Mert and Salih come on. That was the moment the coach failed the test for me. We looked at each other in confusion. I thought, 'What is happening?' I didn't expect this much."
"IT DIDN'T MEET MY EXPECTATIONS BY EVEN A GRAM"
Kahveci, stating that he was not satisfied with the Turkish National Team's overall performance, said the team did not meet expectations. "As a team, it didn't meet my expectations by even a gram. By the way, there wasn't anyone doing things right either," Kahveci said, expressing his disappointment after the defeat.