Georgia - Türkiye: 2-3

Turkey hosted Georgia away in the first match of Group E of the FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Davide Massa of the Italian Football Federation officiated the match, which took place at the Boris Paichadze National Stadium in the capital, Tbilisi. Massa was assisted by Filippo Meli and Stefano Alassio.

The Turkish team scored right from the start of the match from a set piece. Arda Güler crossed in a corner from the left wing. Mert Müldür rose to receive the ball inside the penalty area and headed it home to give the Crescent-Stars the lead in the third minute. After the goal, both teams struggled to create chances, but the Turkish team doubled their lead by halftime. Following the free kick, Kerem found the ball in the box, which was disrupted by a scramble. Kerem's low shot found the back of the net, and the first half ended with a 2-0 lead for Türkiye.

Montella started the second half with a substitution. Orkun Kökçü came on for İsmail Yüksek, who had picked up a yellow card in the first half. The home side, Georgia, dominated the early minutes of the second half, breaking down their opponent's power with short passes. Kerem Aktürkoğlu made it 3-0 in the 53rd minute with an assist from Yunus Akgün. In the 63rd minute, Georgia made it 3-1 with a goal from Davitashvili. Barış Alper Yılmaz was sent off four minutes after coming on. Play continued after Barış fouled Kochorashvili in midfield in the 71st minute. Massa, who re-watched the situation after receiving a warning from VAR, sent Barış off. Entering the final stretch of the match, in the 90+8th minute, Georgia narrowed the gap to one, 2-3, with a goal from Kvaratskhelia. As there were no more goals in the remaining minutes, Türkiye emerged victorious with a score of 3-2.

A W531691 02