Türkiye fails to qualify after losing to Montenegro

A draw would have been enough, but Turkey lost 1-3 at Montenegro, who had not scored a point in five games. Wales beat Finland 4-1 and finished first.

A disaster. Turkey , with Akturkoglu and Kokçu in the starting line-up, missed out on direct promotion to League A after losing to Montenegro, when a draw would have been enough for promotion. Montenegro , who had not scored a single point, had Krstovic as their hero, scoring a hat-trick.

In a pitch in poor condition, Turkey tried to turn the game around in the second half, but their attackers lacked inspiration. Arda Guler and Akturkoglu still had passes that deserved a better response, but the ball wouldn’t go in, and in a quick counterattack Krstovic decided the game.

It’s incredible how Turkey let such a significant advantage slip away in just a few days. If Akturkoglu ‘s missed penalty led to a draw with the Welsh and the loss of direct qualification, the defeat in Montenegro was even more painful.

Even so, Turkey can still move up to League A, but they will have to play in the play-offs and be much more inspired than they were tonight in Montenegro .

Wales took advantage of Turkey’s stumble , thrashing Finland at home , despite having started the game behind, with a goal from Gudjohnsen after just 7 minutes.

For Wales, Cullen (32 and 45+1), Jhonson (65) and Wilson (79) scored .