27.06.2026 12:35
Vincenzo Montella's comments evaluating the 3-2 victory against the USA after the National Team's farewell to the World Cup sparked reactions. The Italian coach's statements, "We will return with our heads held high" and "It was a match worth a thousand victories," were criticized.
In the third match of Group D of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Turkish National Football Team defeated the USA 3-2 at Los Angeles Stadium. The national team, which bid farewell to the tournament with 3 points, saw head coach Vincenzo Montella make statements at the press conference held after the match.
"WE WILL RETURN TO OUR COUNTRY WITH OUR HEADS HELD HIGH" Montella, who began his remarks by touching on the changes he made to the squad compared to the matches against Australia and Paraguay, said, "All players are part of the national team. They are all at a level to play in the starting eleven. Each one deserves to be in the team perfectly. My decisions regarding the starting eleven were tactical choices. The last week was a difficult week for all of us. Many of our players expended a lot of mental energy in the squad. You can see the team spirit in teams that can get up after conceding a goal a minute later. I am very happy tonight. All the players showed their talents. They would not have been able to play such football and perform in front of so many American fans if they were not such a strong team. I am very happy for the Turkish nation and the president. We will return to our country with our heads held high. There were also some injustices. I became very emotional towards the end of the match. Tonight's match was worth a thousand victories," he said.
The Italian coach emphasized that they played with the intention of winning all matches, stating, "In two matches, the ball went out off the crossbar and the post. That's football. Sometimes it is not fair, but we have to accept it. Besides the results, you can also point to how the squad played and the effort the team put on the field. I want to highlight that tonight."
"THE FOOTBALL DISPLAYED IN THIS MATCH IS IMPORTANT FOR OUR PRIDE" Montella, who stated that the football and game displayed against the USA were something to be proud of, said, "Scoring goals is, of course, more important than the number of shots. But goals can still be scored depending on how the opponent plays. There is a huge level of pressure here. Perhaps none of us could have predicted this. We cannot compare any element of this squad with another. There was great pressure on all of them. I prefer to examine events in the right context. We were not lucky in the first two matches. At least drawing one of the two matches could have made things easier for us. But I wanted to see how the team would react tonight. Of course, we are disappointed because we are eliminated, but despite that, we are at a point where we can be proud. The football displayed in this match is important for our pride," he said.
"WE WERE NOT ALWAYS IN THE MOST IDEAL CONDITIONS" The 52-year-old coach also evaluated the camp conditions in Arizona, stating, "We were not always in the most ideal conditions. We had to adapt instantly. But if we had qualified from the qualifiers in November, it might have been different. But it was different because we entered this tournament in March. It did not seem possible to organize these things in such a short time. Also, none of the teams that entered from the play-offs in Europe were able to change their camp location."
"WE COULD HAVE BEEN A BIT MORE DECISIVE IN FRONT OF GOAL" The head coach of the red-and-whites emphasized that they were hasty in the first two matches and lacked clarity in front of goal, saying, "We needed to approach things concretely based on data. We could have made better use of some opportunities. I do not want to blame anyone. This is an experience from which we can learn lessons. I brought up some issues that could be addressed, but perhaps if we had not been a bit hasty, we could have progressed better. We could have been more decisive in front of goal. But sometimes the ball just doesn't go in; that's football. Immediately, a heap of criticism came in, and a different kind of pressure was placed on the team."
"IT WON'T TAKE 24 YEARS TO COME TO THE WORLD CUP AGAIN" Montella, mentioning that they underwent the tournament under great pressure, assessed, "Despite all this, they responded well. I tried to act as their psychologist as much as I could. I think there will be no need for a psychology specialist. Because the team showed their skills and how high their character is. It won't take 24 years to come to the World Cup again. We will come in a much shorter time."
FANS REACTED Montella's words sparked reactions from football fans, as the Turkish National Team was eliminated from the World Cup after defeats to Australia and Paraguay. Fans argued that these statements were too bold for a victory in a tournament from which they had been eliminated.