Turkey boss Senol Gunes admitted his team "were not good enough" after a desperate Euro 2020 campaign ended with a third straight group-stage defeat.
Having already lost to Italy and Wales in their opening two fixtures, Turkey crashed out without a single point to their name as they were beaten 3-1 by Switzerland on Sunday.
Speaking after the match, Gunes shared his belief that Turkey never recovered from a 3-0 defeat to Italy first up, though he insisted his young squad will be capable of delivering in future tournaments.
He said: "We are aware that we were not good enough. The first match had such a negative effect on my players. That can happen.
"But those players will play for Turkey for many years and they will succeed like before."
Turkey's squad was among the youngest in the tournament, and Milan playmaker Hakan Calhanoglu echoed the sentiments of his manager
"This tournament was such a disappointment for us. We have to learn from our mistakes but we won't lower our heads," he said.
"This is a very young team and it will definitely get better."
After firing Lille to a shock Ligue 1 title success this season, Turkey striker Burak Yilmaz failed to find the back of the net in Euro 2020.
The 35-year-old suggested he and his countrymen have lessons to learn if they are to succeed at the top level.
He said: "We could not handle playing in such a big tournament, I have to admit.
"We've qualified for the Euros, we are going really well in World Cup qualification, but I can see that we need to learn how to play these tournaments.
"That's a lesson we have to learn."
Switzerland came into their meeting with Turkey knowing that only a win would give them any chance of progressing to the knockout stages, after also losing 3-0 to Italy and being held by Wales.
And they were dragged to all three points by Xherdan Shaqiri, who scored once in each half to keep his country's hopes alive.
Reflecting on the match, Shaqiri said: "It was very important to show a reaction after the game against Italy and be more unified as a team.
"We did that from the very beginning and played our game."
Despite their best efforts, Switzerland were only able to secure third place in the group as Wales kept hold of second place by only suffering a 1-0 defeat to Italy.
Now the Swiss face a nervous wait to see if they are able to progress as one of four best third-placed teams.
Shaqiri added: "We have to wait for the other games to see what's going to happen. We just to wait and hope it will be enough to reach the next round and then we will have to start again."
Manchester City welcome back Kyle Walker for Real Madrid clash
Kyle Walker is set to return as holders Manchester City bid to reach the Champions League semi-finals for a fourth successive year against Real Madrid on Wednesday.
The England right-back has missed the treble-winners’ last five matches after suffering a hamstring injury on international duty last month.
Walker played a full part in City’s final training session before they host Spanish giants Real in the second leg of their quarter-final tie at the Etihad Stadium, which will begin with the aggregate score 3-3.
Manager Pep Guardiola said: “He’s been training good. I don’t know if from the beginning or from the bench, but I think he will be with us tomorrow.
“It is incredibly good news for many reasons. You know the physicality is massively important and in football it is how you challenge your opponent. Everyone knows the quality Kyle has.”
Walker did not travel to Spain for last week’s pulsating first-leg draw at the Bernabeu Stadium but was an unused substitute for the 5-1 thrashing of Luton on Saturday.
Team-mate Bernardo Silva has welcomed the potential return of the City skipper.
The midfielder said: “He is very important because we know Kyle has controlled some of the best players in the world and always does a phenomenal job when he plays.
“He’s our captain and he’s a player who, in the last few years, has played against players like Vinicius, (Kylian) Mbappe and Neymar and has defended against them like nobody else.”
Jude Bellingham: Joining Real Madrid last summer was ‘no-brainer’
Jude Bellingham admitted joining Real Madrid last summer was a “no-brainer”.
The England midfielder opted for the Spanish giants amid interest from a host of Europe’s top clubs after three highly-impressive seasons with Borussia Dortmund.
The 20-year-old Birmingham academy product has hardly looked back since, netting 20 times in an outstanding debut campaign at the Bernabeu Stadium that has catapulted him into the game’s elite.
Bellingham, speaking at a press conference ahead of Real’s Champions League clash with Manchester City on Wednesday, said: “I had good chats with loads of clubs – including Dortmund – and my family were great in helping me chew up that information.
“It’s difficult while you are still in the season to take in the information and process it and still have to play at the weekend or in the Champions League.
“I had conversations with other teams but when Madrid came in it was a no-brainer really. The size of the club, the project, the plan going forward, the chance to play with such amazing players.
“I just jumped at it. That’s why I made my decision.”
Bellingham has no doubt his game has developed considerably since joining Real and he puts a lot of that down to the influence of veteran manager Carlo Ancelotti.
He said: “I think the sign of a good manager is when he can make you believe that you’re a bit better than maybe you thought you were before.
“I think he fills me with that confidence every day, in training and in the game. Not only that, but he’s a top person. He makes you feel comfortable.”
Real are locked in a ferocious battle with holders City to advance to the semi-finals after an enthralling 3-3 draw at the Bernabeu last week.
City are now regarded as the favourites due to their home advantage – and the fact they thrashed Real 4-0 at the same venue last season – but Bellingham is taking no notice of predictions.
He said: “That’s just the impression from the outside, the feeling from everyone else.
“I’m not a gambler and I’ve never been to the bookies, so I don’t know about betting favourites and things like that.
“But I do know that we’re a pretty good team ourselves. They’re the treble winners, they’re an amazing team but we’ve got some brilliant players.
“There’s external noise, but internally, we’re confident.”
Jude Bellingham demands more anti-racism measures but ‘doubts’ it will happen
Jude Bellingham has demanded football’s authorities – particularly in Spain – do more to combat racism but admitted: “I doubt that will happen.”
The England midfielder’s call came after his Real Madrid team-mate Aurelien Tchouameni was racially abused by a Mallorca supporter after scoring last weekend.
It is the latest of a number of incidents in Spanish football, with another Real player in Vinicius Jr having been a regular victim of offensive chanting and gestures.
Bellingham, speaking to media ahead of Real’s Champions League clash with Manchester City on Wednesday, said: “I think in the games where we go away, in La Liga especially, you almost get so used to it that I wasn’t even aware of the (Tchouameni) incident. I think that’s a massive problem in itself.
“More has got to be done, whether it’s the punishment and how you react to it or how you move proactively to (stop) this kind of thing.
“I think it’s a horrible way for a player to prepare for a game, knowing that they’re probably going to get racially abused. It’s disgusting. It shouldn’t happen.
“The people in power need to do more. No-one deserves that kind of thing.
“It’s definitely a call-out for the people who are in charge to take control. I doubt that will happen.
“It’s going to be something that I imagine we will still have to just deal with going into games. You have just got to play your game and hope that the people look after you, and they’re not doing it well enough at the moment.”
Vinicius broke down in tears at a press conference as he discussed his experiences of racism ahead of Brazil’s recent friendly against Spain in Madrid.
Bellingham expressed sympathy for his colleague.
He said: “I think the blame gets shifted more onto him because of maybe his playing style and the way he likes to express himself and I don’t think that’s fair.
“The game would miss players like Vini if he decided to take a break because of this thing. More needs to be done to support these players.”
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