Turkiye's Burak Yilmaz ends national team career after penalty drama against Portugal
Near end of match, 36-year-old player fires penalty over bar, misses chance for Turkiye to tie playoff semifinal clash
ANKARA
Turkiye's forward Burak Yilmaz ended his national team career following a penalty drama against Portugal on Thursday.
Turkiye were kicked out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup after losing to Portugal 3-1 in a European Qualifiers playoff semifinal.
Near the end of the match at Porto’s Dragao Stadium, when the score was 2-1, Turkiye had a great chance to tie the score after they were awarded a penalty through a video assistant referee (VAR) review.
But the 36-year-old player, who also scored Turkiye's first goal, fired the penalty over the bar and failed to level the match.
The Lille forward announced his retirement from the national team in a post-match interview.
Yilmaz scored 31 goals in 77 appearances for Turkiye since his debut in April 2006.
