Turkey led for seven minutes. That was as good as it got for them. Arda Guler curled a free-kick into the top corner in Izmir, Kevin De Bruyne and Charles De Ketelaere replied before the half-hour, and Belgium went home with a 2-1 win that keeps them second in Nations League Group A1. Turkey have now played five, lost five.
Three goals in ten minutes
The whole match was decided between the 20th and 30th minutes. Guler won the free-kick himself, fouled by Nicolas Raskin a minute after Youri Tielemans had brought him down further back, and he took it left-footed into the top left corner. Senne Lammens did not get close.
Belgium barely blinked. De Bruyne had already dragged a left-footed effort wide from distance on 26 minutes. A minute later Jeremy Doku found him in the middle of the box and this time he used his right, high into the centre of the goal past Ugurcan Cakir. Then, on the half-hour, Diego Moreira had a shot saved low down, the ball was worked back in by Maxim De Cuyper and De Ketelaere finished from very close range with his left foot. From 1-0 down to 2-1 up in three minutes.
Turkey had the chances to level
This was not a game Belgium controlled. Turkey had more of the ball, 53% of it, and put seven of their 10 shots on target, one more than the visitors managed from 12. Lammens made six saves. The last of them came in the 92nd minute, when substitute Hakan Calhanoglu shot from the right side of the area after a pass from Yunus Akgun and the Belgium goalkeeper held it in the middle of his goal.
Sergen Yalcin changed plenty in search of an equaliser. Calhanoglu and Gul came on together on 58 minutes for Kokcu and Unal, Celik and Salih Ozcan followed on 70, and Uzun replaced Yilmaz for the final 10. None of it produced a second goal. Kabak and Yuksek were both booked.
Van Bommel's side stay in the hunt
Mark van Bommel could afford to take De Bruyne off after 69 minutes, with Trossard replacing him, and to rest Doku and De Ketelaere for the last 10. Belgium's record in the group is odd: three wins, two defeats, no draws, eight scored and six conceded. Nine points puts them behind France, who were playing Italy later on Thursday evening.
Turkey's table line is grimmer. No points from five matches, three goals scored, 13 against. A side with Guler and Calhanoglu in it should not be bottom of anything by that margin. The shot numbers say they deserved something from this one. It made no difference.
The detail that decided it
Look at where Belgium's goals came from: the centre of the box and then almost on the goal line. Turkey gave up 33 touches inside their own area and that, more than the possession share or the shot count, explains the result. Belgium got close to goal. Turkey mostly shot from where Lammens could see it coming.
Match facts: Turkey 1-2 Belgium, UEFA Nations League A, Group 1, Gursel Aksel Stadium, Izmir, Thursday 12 November 2026. Goals: Arda Guler 20 (Turkey); Kevin De Bruyne 27, assist Jeremy Doku, and Charles De Ketelaere 30, assist Maxim De Cuyper (Belgium). Half-time 1-2. Booked: Kabak 32, Yuksek 50. Shots 10-12; on target 7-6; possession 53%-47%.
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