Türkiye thrash North Macedonia in Istanbul friendly

North Macedonia’s national football team suffered a defeat in Istanbul, as Türkiye secured a convincing 4–0 victory in a friendly match played at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium.

The hosts were the better side throughout all 90 minutes and, with an aggressive approach from the start, quickly set the tone for the win, CE Report informs via the Football Federation of North Macedonia's official website.

The warning came in the opening seconds when Can Uzun hit the crossbar, and just moments later Türkiye opened the scoring. After a well-placed cross from the right, Orkun Kökçü found himself in the right position and sent the ball past Stole Dimitrievski.

North Macedonia tried to respond through Jani Atanasov, whose shot went just wide of the post, but the Turkish side struck again soon after. This time Can Uzun got on the scoresheet with a precise long-range effort to make it 2–0.

In the remainder of the first half, the hosts continued to control the tempo, while North Macedonia’s best chance came through Ezgjan Alioski. Following a well-worked move involving Elmas and Miovski, the left-back fired from close range, but Altay Bayındır produced an excellent save to deny a goal.

Türkiye maintained its attacking play in the second half and added a third goal in the 53rd minute. After an assist from Can Uzun, Deniz Gül rose highest and scored with a header to make it 3–0.

The final score was set around 20 minutes before the end. Following a fine Turkish team move, Kahveci set up Yılmaz, who struck the ball into the net to seal a 4–0 victory.

In the closing stages, the match slowed down. Türkiye comfortably maintained its lead, while North Macedonia failed to find a response to the dominant hosts and ended the game with a heavy defeat.

Photo: Football Federation of North Macedonia