Turkey 0-0 Iceland
Turkey are on the way to Euro 2020 and France are heading there with them after Senol Gunes’ side played out a goalless draw with Iceland at the Turk Telecom Stadium in Istanbul.
The hosts came into the game locked at the top of Group H with France on 19 points and after this result, they are both guaranteed to stay in the top two places.
But for Erik Hamren’s visitors, this Euro 2020 Turkey vs Iceland clash was the last chance to qualify automatically and they must now hope they can win a play-off place at the end of the Group H schedule.
With two teams qualifying from the group, the 2018 World Champions are through as well, and Didier Deschamps side are favourites to finish top.
Turkey had the upper hand going into this game and their qualification rarely looked in any doubt, though a second-half scramble in the hosts’ goalmouth had the pulses racing in the stands.
But they finished the job professionally, if not spectacularly. Our Turkey vs Iceland betting tips for this game predicted a low scoring affair and the draw paid well at odds of 3.60.
Highlights of the game
Turkey dominated the game in terms of possession and shots on goal, but it was Iceland who came the closest in a desperate second-half scramble.
The visitors had spent much of the game on the back foot. But with less than ten minutes remaining, they threw bodies into the area.
And after goalkeeper Fehmi Mert Gunok had made one block, the ball bounced back towards the net. As the stadium held its breath, Merih Demiral got back to make a spectacular goal-line clearance.
That was on 82 minutes and Iceland continued to press, knowing full well they had precious little time to keep their automatic qualification hopes alive. But skipper Gylfi Sigurdsson couldn’t conjure that bit of magic they needed.
In an eerily quiet first half, Turkey’s best chance of the game came when captain Burak Yilmaz rose to meet a cross but he planted his header over when he should have hit the target.
The Turks did come close in the second half when they sent over a cross from the right-wing and it bounced off the crossbar with Hannes Thor Halldorsson grasping at thin air.
The hosts defended well to keep out Iceland’s late onslaught and when the final whistle went after 94 minutes the stadium exploded amidst scenes of wild celebration.
Key statistics
On paper, these were two evenly matched sides with Turkey just eight places ahead of Iceland in the FIFA World Rankings. But home advantage gave Turkey the edge as they enjoyed 63-per cent of the possession and won the shot count by 12 to nine and three to two on target.
The hosts kept the ball better with 80-per cent pass completion, while Iceland’s long ball tactic led to a low percentage of 64, fewer than two in three passes finding their target. But it gave them some territorial advantage as they had five corners to Turkey’s two.
The other statistic Iceland shone in was the number of fouls committed. They were pulled up 17 times to Turkey’s 11. They don’t mess about these Vikings!
After this draw, the head to head Turkey vs Iceland results are still in the Icemen’s favour. In the 13 games contested between these two sides, they have won eight to Turkey’s two and there have been three draws.
But that won’t worry the Turks one bit as they won the point they needed, making it five matches unbeaten and eight on home soil.
What’s next?
After doing their job the Turkey fans can sit back and watch the action unfold at the Stade de France where France take on Moldova in a game they expect Les Bleus to win.
That likely result will knock Senol Gunes’ team off the top but they can now look forward to the Euro 2020 finals. They still have one game to complete when they visit the tiny principality of Andorra in their final Group H match.
Meanwhile, Iceland travel to Moldova to play the team joint bottom with Andorra on three points.
Both should pick up another three points.
Keep looking for our SBOBET predictions in the run-up to these games, my expert colleague James has been on a hot run of form and I’ll be doing my best to chase him down as the season unfolds!
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
