Real Madrid midfielder Arda Güler came in as a second-half substitute in Türkiye’s 4-0 thrashing of North Macedonia, in preparation for their World Cup campaign. It was a heavily rotated home side deployed by head coach Vincenzo Montella in Istanbul. First XI heavyweights such as Hakan Çalhanoglu and Güler were rested.
However, goals from Orkun Kökçü (2′), Can Uzun (16′), Deniz Gül (53′), Barış Alper Yılmaz (70′) made sure the home side cruised to a comfortable win.
Güler came on after 62 minutes.
He created one big chance and provided two key passes. He attempted eight crosses, two of which were accurate. His passing was highly efficient, completing 20 of 21 passes for 95% accuracy. In the opposition half, he completed 17 of 18 passes (94%), and in his own half, he was perfect, completing all three passes (100%).
Türkiye are in Group D of the World Cup. They will face co-hosts USA, Australia and Paraguay in the group stage. Arda Güler’s World Cup campaign will start against Australia in Vancouver, Canada, on June 14.
