Delightful Turks all but end Scots’ European hopes
UNDER-21 QUALIFIER
SCOTLAND
TURKEY
Bayir 28, Welsh og 72
Scotland go to Kazakhstan on Tuesday knowing something approaching a miracle is required to reach the European Championships in Romania and Georgia – but even assistant manager Peter Houston reckons it is beyond them.
Theyweretaughtalessonat Tynecastle Park by a vibrant, effervescent and enjoyable Turkishsidewithanumberof performerswholooktohavea big future ahead of them.
Twenty-four hours after Scotland’sa-teamhadshown theadvancestheyhavemade, the way they kept the ball and progressed play against Poland, the under-21s treated it with suspicion and angst in a 2-0 loss.
Three wins from three are required to have any chance of progressing. Two of those gamesareagainstthetoptwo, Belgium and Denmark.
“I don’t think we were qualifying anyway,” said Houston, filling in for Scot Gemmill, afterhetestedpositiveforcovid.“whatwearelookingtodo is finish third, as qualifying becomes a bit harder when you are in a tougher group.”
Turkey were bigger, stronger and quicker, but it was the way in which they knocked it about, left to right and through the lines that really impressed. They did so with purpose and confidence and at pace.
Kartal Yilmaz would often drop deep and allow Bunyamin Balci to motor forward from right-back. Ali Akman would come infield to pick up dangerous positions in half spaces and then there was Galatasaray’s Baris Yilmaz, a proper talent and someone who already has a full cap to his name.
Itwasatoughnightforthose in dark blue.
“We were beaten by a better team,” Houston admitted. “We have to learn from that. If we had sneaked something from the game, it would have been a travesty from their point of view, because they were stronger and better.
“The only positive I can take is we got young players on the pitchlikejoshcampbell,connor Barron, Connor Smith, Jayhenderson.wegavethem a bit of 21s’ experience.”
Scotland were nearly ahead within the first two minutes when Lewis Mayo met an excellent delivery from Calvin Ramsay, only to be denied by Ersin Destanoglu.
Fromthenonitwasallabout the visitors. Watford’s towering forward Tiago Cukur passed up a golden opportunity, heading over Kartal Yilmaz's cross.
Evenwhenscotlandshowed moreaggressionandgotcloser, Turkey were too slick, too intelligent. Space was found and exploited.
Baris Yilmaz slipped past Marc Leonard on the touchline and fired in a cross which was diverted into the back of the net by Frukan Bayir.
The second-half continued in much the same vein. Scotlandthreatenedfromsetpieces, while Ciaran Slicker was the home side’s best player between sticks. But even he could not do anything about the second goal which finished the game after 71 minutes as a speculative Kartal Yilmaz effort was diverted in via Stephen Welsh.
Gemmill has a chance of being back in the dugout for thematchinalmaty,butscotland’schancesofqualification are all but done.