Arda Güler expresses dissatisfaction over refereeing decisions in Türkiye's 2-0 loss to Australia in FIFA World Cup 2026

Arda Güler took the most shots (8) in the FIFA World Cup clash against Australia.

Türkiye started their FIFA World Cup campaign against Australia at BC Place in Vancouver with a disappointing 2-0 loss.

Irankunda became Australia’s youngest-ever World Cup goalscorer after he broke the deadlock in the 27th minute, courtesy of Paul Okon-Engstler’s long ball. The victory was sealed by the Aussies in the 75th minute after Connor Metcalfe scored the second, finding the bottom-right corner from range.

The Crescent Stars were seen as favourites to win the game and also created several chances. Türkiye also fired off 30 shots, compared to Australia’s nine. However, the Socceroos narrowly edged the Turks in the expected goals (xG) battle by 1.33 to 0.77.

Despite everything, the game went in favour of Tony Popovic’s team. After the match, Türkiye’s Arda Güler was upset about several referee decisions.

Gular took the most shots, eight, while maintaining a passing accuracy of 93 per cent. The 21-year-old also created three chances and made two defensive contributions. However, Australia’s Patrick Beach stood like a wall, making eight saves.

Also Read: Who is Nestory Irankunda? Australia’s youngest-ever FIFA World Cup goalscorer

What did Arda Güler say after Türkiye’s loss to Australia in the FIFA World Cup 2026?

During a post-match press conference, Arda Güler expressed his dissatisfaction with the refereeing decisions in Türkiye’s 2-0 loss to Australia on Saturday. The Real Madrid midfielder congratulated the Socceroos for the victory; however, he claimed that many handball calls were ignored by the match referees.

“First of all, congratulations to Australia. They took their chances, and we didn’t. But I won’t lie, it’s difficult to accept some of the decisions tonight. There were moments where many were handball calls, yet play continued.”

“I’m not saying that’s the only reason we lost, but those moments can change the flow of a match. The referee saw things differently, and we have to respect that, even if we don’t agree.”

Gular revealed that his team respects the referees’ decisions. He added that his style also lacked the winning hunger required in the World Cup opener. The Real Madrid midfielder stated that his side did not create enough chances, and the defenders also gave lacklustre performances.

“At the end of the day, we also have to look at ourselves. We didn’t create enough chances, we didn’t defend well enough, and Australia punished us. The fans have every right to be frustrated. We are frustrated too. We will learn from this, come back stronger, and make sure this result doesn’t define our tournament.”

Nevertheless, Türkiye will next face Paraguay in their second group stage game on Friday, June 19, before facing co-hosts the USA on June 25.

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