Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Çalhanoğlu expressed disappointment after missing a penalty during Turkey’s 4-2 win over Iceland in the UEFA Nations League.
Çalhanoğlu, known for his penalty-taking skills, had a perfect record from the spot for Inter before the match scoring 14 consecutive penalties.
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However, he slipped during his run-up and touched the ball twice, resulting in the penalty being canceled.
Despite the mistake, Çalhanoğlu redeemed himself by scoring a second penalty later in the match.
He acknowledged his error and expressed his desire to improve his penalty-taking technique.
“We performed really well today. We tried not to play the opponent for 90 minutes. My mind is still on penalties, I’m sorry I slipped. I don’t want to talk big, but I don’t want to miss it, so I wanted to take responsibility in the second penalty,” he said.
“It was difficult for us, we showed a good performance in difficult conditions. Everyone was very good. We fought until the end. We reflected our character on the field. This was the most important thing.
“I was sure we would win. It was obvious at the beginning of the game, we wanted it so much, we wanted to make a first. It was good for us. Our return will be nice. That’s the most important thing.
“I set my speed in penalties. I slipped there. In the second place, I hit the goalkeeper a little more by looking at it, he is slipping, but as I said, I was very happy when he took the second penalty.”
Çalhanoğlu has been in excellent form for both Inter and Turkey. His recent goal against Iceland marked his 20th goal for the national team.