Turkey coach Montella blames 'fate' for World Cup qualifier loss after 65 shots

National football team coach Vincenzo Montella is deeply disappointed following a loss, lamenting that "fate was not on our side" despite his team's significant efforts. "We are very, very sorry. There were great expectations for our nation. We also had great expectations," Montella stated after the match against Paraguay in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Montella highlighted the team's statistical dominance, noting "65 shots in two matches!" He expressed frustration that despite this offensive output, the team failed to secure a positive result. "Normally, this happens once in 50 years, but it happened to us in two matches!" he exclaimed, suggesting an extraordinary run of bad luck.

The coach defended his players, emphasizing their dedication and fighting spirit. "I told our players to lift their heads. Sometimes they say, there is nothing beyond destiny!" he remarked. "I always look at the percentage of hard work from our players and their passion. I look at their spirit on the field. They all had incredible passion. They fought to the end in two matches. My support for them will continue to the end. No one held back, everyone worked and fought hard. It didn't happen, unfortunately..."

Addressing questions about striker usage, Montella dismissed the idea that a different forward would have changed the outcome. "We used our only center forward for 10 minutes in the first match, and today we used him 22 minutes after the opponent went down to 10 men. It's easy to say 'everything would have changed with a center forward,'" he said. "We did everything! Everything... Football is like life... Not everything is fair all the time! You can't always be happy."