Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir was involved in a calamitous moment that proved very costly for Turkiye as they were convincingly beaten 3-0 by Portugal in a Euro 2024 clash on Saturday evening.
Portugal booked their spot in the Euro 2024 last 16 as Group F winners courtesy of goals from Bernardo Silva, an own goal from Samet Akaydin and a late Bruno Fernandes strike.
Meanwhile, the result left Turkiye in second position in their group, two points above Czechia in third place.
Although Bayindir and his teammates will undoubtedly be disappointed with the loss, the way the second goal was conceded, in particular, left much to be desired.
Joao Cancelo broke forward with the ball as he attempted to find Cristiano Ronaldo. The attack appeared like it had been neutralised but an unaware Akaydin inexplicably passed the ball back towards goal just as Bayindir was coming out to clear the danger.
Both Bayindir and Akaydin tried to rush back in a last-ditch attempt to clear the ball but they were unsuccessful and it crossed the line.
During the time he was on the pitch for his side, Bayindir made just one save. The single save he made came from inside the Turkiye box.
He failed to successfully register a high claim, punch or run out from his line.
The 26-year-old had 39 touches of the ball to his name and successfully found his teammates with 26 of the 32 passes he attempted. He managed a pass accuracy of 81%.
Bayindir tried to connect with 10 long balls. He found his target on five occasions.
The United shot-stopper won the one aerial duel he contested.
(Stats obtained from Sofascore)
Portugal’s next assignment is against Czechia. Vincenzo Montella’s men’s next assignment is against Czechia on Wednesday.
Want to be the first to hear breaking Man United news? For carefully selected, crucial updates, join our WhatsApp channel: https://bit.ly/United-Breaking-News.
