Turkiye 1-2 Belgium: Comeback win keeps quarter-final hopes alive
UEFA Nations League A · Group A1
Belgium struck twice in three minutes to overturn Turkiye’s lead and keep their Nations League quarter-final hopes alive, with Jeremy Doku driving a comeback that lifted them above Italy into second place.
- 20′ Arda Guler opens the scoring with a 30-yard free-kick.
- 27′ Kevin De Bruyne equalises from Doku’s cross.
- 30′ Charles De Ketelaere taps in to complete Belgium’s turnaround.
Turkiye had looked determined to impress Sergen Yalcin, appointed after the departure of Vincenzo Montella since the previous international break. Their early intent brought a spectacular reward after 20 minutes.
Arda Guler curled a glorious left-footed free-kick around Belgium’s wall and into the top-left corner from 30 yards. It was the Real Madrid midfielder’s eighth goal in 37 senior internationals, and it left Belgium facing the possibility of their quarter-final hopes ending with a game to spare, depending on Italy’s result against France.
The lead lasted only seven minutes. Doku beat Oguz Aydin on the left and delivered a cross for his former Manchester City team-mate De Bruyne, who crashed a first-time finish high into the net.
By the half-hour mark, Belgium were ahead. Doku was involved again, riding Aydin’s challenge as he worked his way to the right side of the area before his cross was blocked. Nicolas Raskin collected the loose ball and picked out Maxim De Cuyper at the far post. The Brighton player’s first attempted cutback was blocked, but his second reached De Ketelaere for a tap-in.
Diego Moreira curled a shot over before the interval, while De Ketelaere had a better opportunity to extend the advantage just before the hour, only to be denied by Ugurcan Cakir.
Turkiye eventually put Belgium under pressure. Guler shot straight at Senne Lammens as he went to ground under attention from Raskin, while Deniz Gul and Hakan Calhanoglu both had angled drives blocked by the Manchester United goalkeeper. The hosts’ positive spell came too late.
Daring Doku takes the fight to Turkiye
Mark van Bommel’s side recovered to pile the pressure on Italy, and Doku was the catalyst. The Manchester City winger repeatedly took on Turkiye’s defenders, supplying De Bruyne’s equaliser and helping create the winner.
- Dribbles attempted
- 15
- Successful dribbles
- 7
- Duels contested
- 24
Only two individual performances have featured more attempted dribbles in a Nations League match. Doku himself attempted 16 against Ukraine in March 2025, while Georgia’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia attempted 17 against North Macedonia in September 2020.
Doku’s 24 duels contested have been bettered only three times in the competition: by his own 26 against Ukraine, Kvaratskhelia’s 27 against North Macedonia and Raheem Sterling’s 25 for England against Iceland in September 2020.
