Playoff semi-final Turkey 1-0 Romania
Ferdi Kadioglu’s strike set up by Real Madrid midfielder
Turkey moved within one game of ending their long World Cup absence as Ferdi Kadioglu’s second-half goal secured a 1-0 win over Romania in their playoff semi-final after a moment of brilliance from Arda Guler.
In a high-stakes encounter at Besiktas Stadium, the deadlock was broken in the 53rd minute when the Real Madrid midfielder Guler produced a superb defence-splitting pass to pick out Kadioglu, who controlled and finished calmly to give the hosts the lead.
That proved decisive in a tight contest between two sides seeking a return to the World Cup for the first time since 2002. Turkey grew in confidence after going ahead and came close to doubling their advantage shortly afterwards, with Juventus’s Kenan Yildiz cutting in from the left and striking the crossbar with a fine curling effort.
