Arda Guler scored a free-kick that will be replayed for years, Kevin De Bruyne admitted Belgium built their whole game plan around stopping him — and Turkiye still lost. Belgium came from behind to win 2-1 in Izmir on Thursday night, confirming Turkiye's relegation from Nations League A and setting up a Sunday shoot-out with Italy for a quarter-final place.
For twenty minutes at the Gursel Aksel Stadium, this looked like the night Sergen Yalcin's reign began with a famous win. In his first match since replacing the sacked Vincenzo Montella, Yalcin watched his side pin Belgium back, press in packs and play through one man. Then that man produced the moment of the night: on 20 minutes, Guler curled a left-footed free-kick from 30 yards into the top corner, a strike worthy of winning any match.
Ten minutes that flipped Group A1
Belgium, to their credit, did not panic. Mark van Bommel's side began finding the space Turkiye's press left behind, and Jeremy Doku — back in the Belgium side for this window — started running at a defence that had no answer for him. On 27 minutes Doku slipped a pass through and De Bruyne, the Napoli midfielder, finished the equaliser. Three minutes later Maxim De Cuyper's delivery was turned in by Charles De Ketelaere, and a ground that had been dreaming was silent. Turkiye chased the game for an hour without ever truly rattling Belgium again, and the 2-1 scoreline at half-time was the one that stood at the final whistle.
The numbers underline how complete Guler's performance was even in defeat. The Real Madrid playmaker had 86 touches, more than anyone else on the pitch, completed 90.9 per cent of his passes and was fouled five times, as Managing Madrid detailed. Belgium's players hunted him in pairs because they had to: he was, as he has been all campaign, Turkiye's entire attacking plan.
De Bruyne's verdict on the boy he had to stop
The night's most striking words came afterwards. De Bruyne, scorer of the equaliser, did not talk about himself. As reported by Sportskeeda, he said: "Arda Guler is one of the best players in the world. He also plays for one of the best clubs in the world." He went further, explaining how Belgium had set up specifically for the 21-year-old: "All the responsibility was on Arda. We also set up our plan accordingly."
It is easy to see why. Guler has become central to Real Madrid this season — 14 appearances, four goals and six assists, a September Player of the Month award, and a goal and an assist in the 3-0 win at Valencia days before this break. When a player of De Bruyne's standing calls an opponent one of the best in the world and admits his team built their plan around him, that is not politeness. That is a scouting report delivered in public.
What it means for Group A1
Belgium's third win of the campaign lifts them to nine points, second in Group A1 behind France. It all comes down to Sunday in Brussels, where Belgium host Italy knowing a win guarantees a place in the March quarter-finals. Turkiye, meanwhile, are relegated: five games, five defeats, zero points, and a closing trip to France on Sunday that is now only about pride — and about whether Kylian Mbappe, hoping to return from his hamstring problem for that game, gives Guler one more elite duel to relish.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Guler is carrying a national team almost alone, and the best midfielder of his generation just said so out loud. Turkiye's relegation is a failure of the collective — two goals in four games before tonight tells its own story — but nights like this are why Madrid fans believe they have a future Ballon d'Or contender. Belgium march on; the boy from Ankara was still the story. Can Turkiye build a team worthy of their No. 8 before the World Cup cycle turns? Tell us what you think in the comments.
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