Turkey overhaul Poland in Group 7 race

Turkey have gone top of UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying Group 7 after a slender 1-0 win against previous pacesetters Poland in Antalya.

Poland were aiming for their fourth win, having taken Turkey's scalp in Warsaw in August, but Musa Çağıran's 66th-minute goal settled matters in favour of the home side. The Turkish team move onto ten points from five games, the same number of outings as the Poles who are a point behind.

Turkey controlled proceedings in the first half but struggled to make the most of their possession in the final third. Ömer Ali Şahiner sent an effort narrowly wide while captain Musa brought the best out of Poland keeper Jakub Szumski after beating his marker with delightful skill.

Poland had been relatively untroubled, though, inspiring two home changes at the resumption. Coach Abdullah Ercan's tinkering paid off as newcomers Salih Uçan and Yusuf Erdoğan both unleashed decent efforts from distance.

Momentum was in their favour and midway through the second period Turkey broke the deadlock. Emrah Başsan's fine deep run ended with a superb cross which an unmarked Musa met with a simple close-range header. Dominik Furman forced Aykut Özer into a good stop as Turkey risked sitting back and inviting Polish pressure, yet the Crescent-Stars did enough to protect their advantage.