The Turkey national team lost 3-0 to Belgium away, suffering their third consecutive group stage defeat. After the match, head coach Vincenzo Montella spoke at a press conference about the result, the team's performance, and external criticism.

On the match result and the level of League A

Montella said: "I have nothing to blame the players for; they fought until the very end. When you can't make the final pass, can't score, and the opponent does, the score won't be what you want. Participating in League A is an honor, not a punishment. The team is gaining experience, and we have seen the competitive level at this tier. We have been fighting, and unfortunately, this is the level of League A. We are continuously gaining experience and moving forward."

On the fans and the players' efforts

Montella stated: "We are very sorry to the fans. We give our all every time we step onto the field, and there's no point in blaming the players; no one should be blamed. Even I fought with all my heart on the field. The only thing we did wrong was our first-half performance against Italy. We needed to respond, and the players did so today."

On gaining experience in League A

Montella said: "Football has different competitive levels, and we are now gaining experience at this level. At this level, you cannot make mistakes; opponents will not let your mistakes go unpunished. Only in the first half against Italy did we have a mentality issue. The players responded and fought hard. Every three days, we test our strength at this level. This is how I see it: participating in League A is not a sin, but an honor. We must continue to work hard, improve ourselves, and do our best. I will not blame our players. Football has different competitive levels, and League A is precisely this level."

On the "sack the coach" chants from fans

Montella stated: "Our team is very united. We were missing several very important players, and the absence of Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Kenan Yıldız, and Orkun Kökçü was very noticeable. Furthermore, the absence of Mert Müldür was also a significant loss; he is one of our key players. I don't want to focus on this criticism right now. With this group of players, we returned to the World Cup after 24 years; with this group of players, we were promoted to League A, and we participated in the European Championship with them. Every three days, we will test our strength at this level, which is also preparation for future work."

On the team's performance in this match

Montella said: "I believe our team fought until the end. Our performance on the field was comparable to the opponent's. We had 40 touches in the opponent's box, they had 26. When we don't score and they do, the result won't be what you want. Our team was able to execute our set pieces and fought until the end. We are proud to see the players strive to achieve this. Sometimes, opponents have an advantage in certain details. Perhaps if we had been more decisive with our final decisions, we could have gotten a different score. Unfortunately, the game ended this way, and the opponent was more clinical in these situations."

On external expectations

Montella stated: "Over the past three years, we have significantly raised external expectations. It's natural for fans to be dissatisfied now. They can express their thoughts. I am highly motivated and ready to work harder than ever before."

On the suspensions of Güler and Barış Alper Yılmaz

Montella said: "We are very sorry about the suspensions of Barış Alper Yılmaz and Güler. Both of them are very important to the team. We will continue to play with the remaining players, many of whom are playing at this level for the first time. We will not give up. We have a responsibility representing our country, and we will do our best to perform. Our fighting spirit is very high. When the results are not ideal, the players might feel sad, but they should hold their heads high because they have fought hard."

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