Turkiye goalkeeper Khan Benice is carried on fans’ shoulders as the team celebrates victory.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
There’s something about football under lights in Shepparton that just hits different.
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And on Sunday night McEwen Reserve was the place to be.
A packed-out crowd rolled in for the 2026 Shepparton Nations Cup final, treated to a pulsating spectacle that had everything — early goals, controversy, extra time drama and a nerve-shredding penalty shootout.
In the end, it was Turkiye that stood tallest, edging Afghanistan on penalties to claim the crown in a curious twist of fate, given the latter won last year’s tournament via spot kicks.
This time, however, it was Turkiye’s turn to go the distance.
And from the off, it wasted no time stamping authority on the contest.
Turkiye’s Taner Tekin battles with Afghanistan’s Ahmed Yavuzel.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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Turkiye’s Taylan Geylan jostles against Afghanistan’s Ismet Uguz.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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Turkiye’s Hakan Yildiz loads up a shot on goal.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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Afghanistan’s Sayed Fatemi celebrates after scoring.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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Turkiye fans show their support for their nation.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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Turkiye’s Mehmet Uysal wheels away after scoring the opener.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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Afghanistan’s Mohammad Ali celebrates after scoring.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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A bumper crowd showed out to watch the final at McEwen Reserve.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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Turkiye’s Hakan Yildiz goes wild after slotting the decisive penalty.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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Turkiye goalie Khan Benice at the front of the celebrations.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Inside five minutes, Mehmet Uysal curled a sublime opener into the bottom right corner, sending the red-clad supporters into early raptures.
Barely a minute later, he struck again, pouncing on an Afghanistan mistake to double the advantage and put Turkiye firmly in control at 2-0.
Afghanistan, though, refused to wilt.
Sayed Fatemi was a constant thorn in Turkiye’s side, buzzing around the forward line and testing the defence with his pace and movement – as well as a classy free kick that drew a great save from goalkeeper Khan Benice – but the scoreline remained unchanged at the main break.
The game turned on its head in the second half, as 15 minutes after the restart, Afghanistan pulled one back, igniting the contest and a fiery fracas that briefly halted proceedings before cooler heads prevailed.
Then, with 15 minutes left in regulation, Afghanistan found its equaliser.
Benice saved an initial strike, but Fatemi was Johnny on the spot to slam the rebound home and make it 2-2, sending the white, green and red portion of the stands into a frenzy.
Extra time came and went with both sides carving out chances, but neither could find the decisive blow, setting up a penalty shootout worthy of the occasion.
Both teams converted their first two kicks before Benice produced a crucial save.
The momentum swung again when a Turkiye attempt was blazed over the bar, before Afghanistan goalkeeper Imran Mohammadi stepped up and missed his own attempt.
That left Hakan Yildiz with the chance to win it — and he made no mistake, burying his effort in the bottom right corner to seal the title for Turkiye and spark wild celebrations.
Yildiz capped a brilliant tournament by being named player of the tournament, while Benice claimed the golden glove.
Afghanistan’s Fatemi was awarded grand final player of the match for his tireless display and Nepal’s Ashish Lama finished as the tournament’s top scorer.
