Iceland 2-4 Turkey Player Ratings as Guler and Akturkoglu inspire Turks comeback

Turkey produced a thrilling 4-2 comeback win against Iceland in the UEFA Nations League. Iceland were off to a great start when Orri Oskarsson put them ahead with a brilliant finish. Although the visitors shared the lion’s share of the possession, the game became more wide open with two sides equally having a go at the goal. The Turks thought they had equalised after Hakan Calhanoglu netted a penalty but was asked to retake it due to Valdimarsson’s foul, with the skipper failing in his second attempt. But the home side’s resistance was broken when Irfan Kahveci scored a marvellous long-range goal before Calhanoglu added another one sooner; this time he made no mistake from the penalty spot. Iceland managed to level things up when Andri Gudjohnsen scored a leaping header.

While Iceland could have got away with a draw, they shot themselves in the foot after Valdimarsson’s error led to Arda Guler‘s goal in the 88th minute. Kerem Akturkoglu rounded off the game with a deft finish as Turkey made two wins out of their last two games. With the victory, the Crescent Stars sit at the top of League B Group 4 with 10 points, while Iceland are third.

Iceland National Football Team Player Ratings vs Turkey

Goalkeeper

Hakon Valdimarsson: 4/10 – A near-heroic performance was foiled by his grave error towards the end. Made a flurry of top-quality saves but those were overshadowed by his brain-fade moment on the ball, allowing Guler to find the winner.

Defenders

Logi Tomasson: 5/10 – Involved in crucial defensive actions but was a let-down offensively.

Valgeir Fridriksson: 6/10 – Turks exploited the right flank to larger extents as a result of Fridriksson’s shortcomings. But still managed to thread in 7 passes into the final third, including a brilliant cross to set up Gudjohnsen’s header.

Daniel Gretarsson: 6/10 – One of the bright spots in an otherwise leaky defence, giving his best to halt the Turks for larger spells. Made 6 clearances, 6 recoveries and 3 blocks.

Sverir Ingason: 5/10 – Nearly became a culprit in Iceland’s defence after conceding a penalty with a handball, but much to his relief, no damage was done.

Midfielders

Arnar Traustason: 6/10 – Led the midfield from the front, preventing Turks from creating much danger until the game swung in their favour. Won 5 duels, made 5 recoveries and 2 clearances.

Mikael Anderson: – 5/10 Anderson’s performance was not up to the mark

Johann Berg Gudmundsson: 5/10 – For all his experience, Gudmundsson should be doing better to prevent Kahveci from taking that shot that led to the goal.

Attackers

Mikael Egill Ellertsson: 4/10 – Ellertsson managed just one shot on target. Received a booking for a malicious foul in the first half. Was also ball-watching when Kahveci scored a screamer.

Andri Gudjohnsen: 7/10 – Went from zero to hero in no time; Made up for his handball in the penalty box – which allowed the Turks to take the lead – with a thumping header to find the equaliser

Orri Oskarsson: Scored a sensational double for Real Sociedad weeks ago, Oskarsson has translated his form well into the national team. The young striker made a terrific solo run, outpacing Bardakci before unleashing a great strike. Also positioned himself in dangerous areas throughout the game.

Substitutes

Willum Willumsson: N/A

Isak Bergmann Johannesson: N/A

Manager

Age Hareide: Hareide would be livid with the end result as his side were on top until a point in the game. A combination of individual mistakes and the failure to hold the nerves led to Iceland’s defeat.

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Turkey National Football Team Player Ratings vs Iceland

Goalkeeper

Ugurcan Cakir: 6/10 – Despite his questionable effort against Oskarsson’s opener, Cakir came into his own as the game wore on, producing a handful of good saves.

Defenders

Ferdi Kadioglu: 7/10 – An excellent showing from the Brighton full-back, further demonstrating why he is one of the best players in his position in Europe. Was at the heart of Turkey’s relentless attack.

Zeki Celik: 7/10 – Celik poured in his influence from the word go, making 8 recoveries, 2 clearances, 1 interception and 3 tackles. He also clocked up a passing accuracy of 93%.

Merih Demiral 4/10 – A poor showing from Demiral from the beginning to end. Got away with a handball but was completely caught on blindside by Gudjohnsen’s leaping header.

Abdulkerim Bardakci: 5/10 – Completely got caught off guard by Iceland’s counter and failed to match the pace of the young Oskarsson in one-on-one. But still, his passing was spotless.

Midfielders

Orkun Kokcu: 5/10: An off-colour performance from the star midfielder, who, despite making 6 balls into the final third, failed to make an impact defensively.

Irfan Kahveci: 7/10 – Tried to make things happen from the beginning and seized his moment when he scored a belter of a strike from 30 yards to equalise for the Turks

Hakan Calhanoglu: 8/10 – Unleashed a whipping strike from long-range early in the game but was thwarted by Iceland’s keeper. Unfortunately, missed his penalty on the second attempt due to Valdmirsson’s foul when Turkey were 1-0 but made it up by converting from the spot later. Defensively solid as the skipper made 9 recoveries.

Attackers

Muhammed Kerem Akturkoglu: 8/10 – Akturkoglu’s purple patch continues with another stellar display. Dispossessed Valdimarsson with great pressure, allowing Guler to score and capped off the game with an awe-inspiring finish.

Arda Guler: 8/10 – Guler’s impact was felt throughout the game. Had a crack at the goal multiple times early in the game and also created 2 big chances. The Real Madrid prodigy was at the right place to pounce on the keeper’s mistake.

Kenan Yildiz: 7/10 – Picked up the pace after the first quarter. Caused a lot of trouble to the Iceland defenders with his great dribbling prowess and dangerous runs behind the defence. Also sent a scintillating effort to the bottom left corner, which was saved by Valdimarsson. Provided a teasing cross from the corner to Kahveci, whose header was kept out. Completed more than 5 dribbles and was easily one of the best players of Turkey despite not finding the score sheet.

Substitutes

Samet Akaydin: N/A

Okay Yokuslu: N/A

Bertug Yildirim: N/A

Yunus Akgun: N/A

Eren Elmali: N/A

Manager

Vincenzo Montella: Montella would be delighted with his team’s herculean effort in the second half. The Italian gaffer trusted his players throughout the game and their constant pressure paved the way for the win despite the odds.

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