Head-to-Head History Turkey vs Portugal: Intense Rivalry

Turkey vs Portugal – Before the clash in the 2nd match of Group F at Euro 2024, Portugal holds the advantage with 4 wins and only 1 loss in the last 5 matches between the two teams.

At 05:00 PM on Saturday, June 22 (UK time), Turkey will face Portugal in the 2nd match of Group F at Euro 2024. This will be the 4th time the two teams meet in the history of the Euro finals.

Before this matchup, the Portuguese team has been dominant over Turkey in the last 5 encounters, with 4 wins and only 1 loss. The most significant victory was a 3-1 win in the European qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup.

Portugal 3-1 Turkey, World Cup Qualifiers 2022, 25/03/2022
In this match, both teams played aggressively with a fierce and tense game. The highlights were not only the number of goals but also the total fouls and yellow cards both sides received.

Portugal opened the scoring early in the 15th minute through Otavio, then Diogo Jota doubled the lead for the European Selecao with just 3 minutes left in the first half. The first half ended smoothly compared to the intense 45 minutes that followed.

In the second half, the Turkish team launched a strong comeback with a full-scale attack, rewarded with a goal to reduce the gap to 1-2 in the 65th minute by Burak Yilmaz. The tension escalated when Burak Yilmaz scored again, but the referee disallowed the goal after checking VAR, maintaining Portugal’s lead.

Finally, in the 94th + 5th minute, M. Nunes extinguished all Turkish hopes with a third goal, sealing a dramatic 3-1 victory for Portugal. This crucial match helped Portugal secure a spot in the 2022 World Cup after a challenging qualifying campaign.

Portugal 1-3 Turkey, Friendly Match, 03/06/2012
In this “non-significant” friendly match, both teams played openly. Portugal fielded 70% of their usual substitutes and young stars, making it understandable that they conceded multiple goals.

Turkey led 2-0 with goals from B. Yilmaz and U. Bulut. Nani then narrowed the gap to 1-2, but Pepe scored an own goal in the final minutes, resulting in a 1-3 defeat for Portugal.

At Euro 1996, 2000, and 2008
In these tournaments, Portugal won all three matches (1-0 at Euro 1996, 2-0 at Euro 2000, and 2-0 at Euro 2008).

The common factor in these matches was Portugal’s superiority and clear class difference. They controlled the game and played cautiously to preserve their squad when they had already secured or nearly secured a spot in the next round, yet they still managed to comfortably win against their opponents.

Additionally, in the head-to-head history between Portugal vs Turkey, the two teams have met a total of 11 times, with the European Selecao winning 9 matches and losing only 2. This statistic suggests that Portugal is likely to continue their dominant performance as they pursue the championship this year.