Ugurcan Cakır sent off as France hold on to beat Turkey in Nations League

Turkey’s hopes of rescuing a point against France were dealt a major blow when goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakır was sent off late in their 1-0 defeat in the opening round of the Nations League group stage on Friday.

The hosts were pushing for an equaliser after France took the lead through Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe in the 54th minute.

However, Liverpool striker Bradley Barcola broke through on goal and ran clear towards Cakır. The Turkey goalkeeper came outside his penalty area and handled the ball to stop the French forward, committing a clear offence.

The referee initially allowed play to continue, but was then asked by the video assistant referee to review the incident. After checking the replay, he issued Cakır with a straight red card in the 87th minute.

The dismissal significantly reduced Turkey’s chances of finding a way back into the match, leaving France to secure victory.

France and Turkey are in Group A of League A in the Nations League, alongside Italy and Belgium.

Belgium also began their campaign on Friday with a 2-0 victory away to Italy.