Mircea Lucescu’s Romania side hadn’t tasted away success in 12 months (D1, L2), but they knew they would need to find a way past hosts Turkey if they were to progress to a European play-off final.
To add to the uphill task, the travelling side weren’t made to feel welcome at the Tupras Stadium, where boos and whistles rang out with every touch of the ball from a fervent home crowd. Turkey dominated possession in the early passages and probed patiently, with Ferdi Kadioglu providing plenty of energy down the left, albeit without creating a clear opening.
At the other end, Ianis Hagi’s miskick wasted a promising shooting chance, shortly before Vlad Dragomir struck the underside of the crossbar from close range, although the assistant’s flag was up for an offside in the build-up.
Turkey had netted seven of their last eight goals before the hour mark, yet with half of that time elapsed, the game remained deadlocked. Nonetheless, momentum was with the home side, whose best chance before the interval arrived when Kenan Yildiz won the ball high up the pitch and charged into the box, pulling back for Arda Guler, who couldn’t keep his curling first-time shot down.
The pattern of play resumed after the restart, but Romania could only hold firm until the 53rd minute. A searching long ball from Guler unlocked the Tricolorii defence, picking out a well-timed run from Kadioglu, who slotted through Ionut Radu's legs with a composed finish.
The visitors immediately pushed for a leveller, but it was Turkey looking the likelier to score next as Yildiz bent a fierce effort onto the crossbar.
Romania were clinging to the fact that they had scored in eight straight away games, and after Güler cracked an effort off the crossbar at the opposite end, there were heads in hands as Valentin Mihaila’s shot pinged off the inside of the post, albeit from an offside position.
That proved to be as close as Lucescu’s men would come to finding the net, ultimately falling short once again. The result marks the end of the road for Romania, whose 28-year wait for a return to the WC continues for at least another four years. As for Turkey, an eighth win in 11 matches on Turkish soil (D2, L1) sees them progress to a winner-takes-all away encounter against either Slovakia or Kosovo, with the prize just a third appearance at the WC finals.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Ferdi Kadioglu (Turkey)