For coach Stefan Kuntz and the Turkish national team, qualifying for the EM 2024 in Germany started with a work win.
Stefan Kuntz was relieved. “It wasn’t an easy game. However, I think it was a deserved win for us after a difficult away game. We’re happy with the three points,” said the Turkish national soccer coach after the 2-1 (1-1) win. Trembling victory in Armenia.
In Yerevan, the Kuntz team was successful in the first European Championship qualifier after an own goal by Hoffenheim’s Ozan Kabak (10th). Orkun Kökcü (35′) and Kerem Aktürkoglu (64′), who came on as a substitute with Dortmund’s Salih Özcan, turned the game around in the Armenian capital. Turkey, who missed the ticket for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, will meet Croatia, third in the World Cup, in qualifying group D on Tuesday (8.45 p.m. / DAZN), who started 1-1 (1-0) against Wales. The goal of Hoffenheim’s Andrej Kramaric (28th) was not enough to win.
Kuntz also had to answer a question about the fasting month of Ramadan, which had just begun, because it was claimed that the German football coach had made his line-up dependent on it. “I accept cultural changes and show great respect. Ramadan plays no part in my decision,” emphasized the 1996 European champion.
KUNTZ HAS BEEN THE TURKISH NATIONAL COACH SINCE 2021
Turkey had qualified for the last two European Championship finals in 2016 and 2020, on the way to Qatar the team failed in the World Cup play-offs against Portugal with superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Kuntz, the long-time U21 coach of the German Football Association (DFB), has been the national coach in Turkey since 2021.
Source: DAZN News