Türkiye's Struggles Continue as De Bruyne Punishes Hosts in Izmir

The noise in Izmir said one thing. The table in Nations League A says something very different.

Türkiye’s winless, joyless campaign rolled on with a fifth straight defeat, this time a 2-1 loss to Belgium that underlined just how unforgiving this level can be. Five games, five defeats, no points. One match left, in France on Nov. 15, to avoid the humiliation of a blank return.

For a brief spell, though, the script looked different.

Guler lights it up, briefly

Arda Guler, still the brightest light in a dark tournament for Türkiye, bent the night to his will in the 20th minute. A free kick from outside the box, struck with that familiar whip and dip, flew beyond the Belgian wall and into the net. Izmir erupted. For a moment, the losing streak felt like a bad memory about to be erased.

That goal should have been a platform. It became a tease.

Belgium did not panic. They tightened their grip on the ball, pushed their full-backs higher, and forced Türkiye deeper and deeper. The pressure told, and inevitably, the familiar figure of Kevin De Bruyne emerged as the tormentor-in-chief.

De Bruyne, again and again

De Bruyne dragged Belgium level, striking back to silence the stadium and reassert the visitors’ authority. By halftime, the turnaround was complete and Türkiye trailed 2-1, their early promise swallowed by familiar defensive frailty and Belgium’s superior control.

For Türkiye, the identity of the executioner made the defeat sting even more. De Bruyne has haunted them throughout this Nations League campaign, scoring three times across the two meetings. He had already hit them for a brace in Belgium’s 3-0 win in Liege; this latest contribution only deepened the scar.

While Türkiye stayed rooted to the bottom of Group 1 on zero points, Belgium climbed to nine, their third victory confirming the gulf between the sides in both confidence and cohesion.

Yalcin’s changes, same outcome

On the touchline, Sergen Yalcin searched for a way back. Chasing the game in the second half, he turned to his bench in the 58th minute, sending on Hakan Calhanoglu and Deniz Gul for Orkun Kokcu and Enes Unal. The intention was clear: more control in midfield, more threat in the final third.

The impact never came.

Belgium managed the tempo, killed the space, and forced Türkiye into hopeful, hurried attacks. The hosts pushed, but without clarity or conviction. The equalizer never arrived, and when the final whistle blew, the pattern of the entire campaign remained brutally intact.

Five games. Five losses. No points.

One last chance in France

Now comes France away, the most daunting assignment of the lot, as the final fixture in Group 1. It is Türkiye’s last opportunity to salvage even a single point from a campaign that began with optimism and has descended into damage limitation.

The question is no longer how high this team can climb in Nations League A. It is whether they can stop the bleeding before they leave it.