Turkey stun Netherlands in qualifying

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IMAGE COPYRIGHT/ AFP/ Since 2000 Burak Yilmaz has scored more goals than any other player against the Netherlands

Burak Yilmaz
IMAGE COPYRIGHT/ AFP/ Since 2000 Burak Yilmaz has scored more goals than any other player against the Netherlands

Netherlands began their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign with a surprise defeat by Turkey.

The Dutch, runners up in 2010, fell behind when Burak Yilmaz’s deflected shot wrong-footed goalkeeper Tim Krul.

Yilmaz then converted a penalty before Hakan Calhanoglu curled in a third.

Memphis Depay saw a late spot-kick saved for the Dutch, who threatened to fight back via goals from Davy Klaassen and Luuk de Jong, but Yilmaz’s superb free-kick rounded off the scoring.

It proved a difficult evening for the Netherlands who initially struggled to trouble Ugurcan Cakır in the Turkey goal.

Matthijs de Ligt went close to scoring for the Dutch just before half-time but his header was cleared off the line.

And while two goals in the space of two minutes, from substitutes Klaassen and De Jong, gave them a way back into the contest, they were second best for long periods.

SOURCE: BBC