Türkiye 1-0 Romania: Kadıoğlu and Güler keep Montella on the road to 2026

Türkiye pushed past Romania on Thursday night in Istanbul, a 1-0 win that moves Vincenzo Montella one step from the World Cup. Ferdi Kadıoğlu broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute, fed by Arda Güler, and that single action justified an evening of dominance that the hosts had built through patience and superior structure.

Montella kept faith with his 4-2-3-1, trusting Hakan Çalhanoğlu and İsmail Yüksek to run the midfield. Mircea Lucescu mirrored the shape, but Romania were pushed back quickly: Türkiye ended with 68 percent possession and never let the visitors land a shot on target. Vlad Dragomir’s booking for a foul in the 18th minute summed up the pressure, Romania repeatedly arriving late to second balls.

Türkiye’s staff demanded control between the lines and got it. Çalhanoğlu kept the ball circulating, Yüksek stepped in to win duels, and Kenan Yıldız stayed wide to stretch the back four. The breakthrough was clean: Güler’s patiently weighted pass released Kadıoğlu and the full back finished from close range in the 53rd minute. Ionuț Radu had already parried one effort; he could not touch this one.

Lucescu went for broke with Florin Tănase replacing Răzvan Marin in the 66th minute, then Nicolae Stanciu for Ianis Hagi in the 71st, but the tweak shifted possession without end product. Dennis Man and Valentin Mihăilă kept running without targets to hit, and Daniel Bîrligea’s hold-up play faded before he made way for David Miculescu in the 87th minute. Ștefan Baiaram arrived a minute later, yet Romania still finished with just six attempts, none troubling Uğurcan Çakır.

Türkiye’s control deepened after Kadıoğlu’s goal. Barış Alper Yılmaz made way for Orkun Kökçü in the 78th minute so Montella could reinforce the middle, and the captain left the pitch in the 90th minute for İrfan Can Kahveci while Ozan Kabak replaced Güler to add height. Time-wasting yellow cards for Kerem Aktürkoğlu and İrfan Can Kahveci in the 90+2nd minute underlined how ruthlessly Türkiye ran down the clock.

The story here was the full backs. Kadıoğlu’s license to surge inside freed Mert Müldür to lock down the right, and the balance allowed Çalhanoğlu to dictate without chasing counters. Yüksek’s 14 duels kept the ball funnelled back toward Romania’s third, while Güler’s assist showed why Montella now trusts him as the primary creator between the lines.

Key Numbers

• Possession: Türkiye 68 percent, Romania 32 percent
• Shots: Türkiye 16 (2 on target), Romania 6 (0 on target)
• Corners: Türkiye 9, Romania 3
• Passing accuracy: Türkiye 88 percent, Romania 66 percent

Looking Ahead

Montella’s squad now wait for the other semi final winner before Tuesday’s playoff final. Fitness reports are positive and the core midfield of Çalhanoğlu and Yüksek is set to remain untouched. Romania head home knowing Mircea Lucescu must find a spark in attack before the summer fixtures.

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