Seemingly eager to make amends for missing out on automatic promotion to League A via the group stage, Turkey made a promising start and were denied an early penalty after Kenan Yildiz tumbled under a forceful challenge from Bendeguz Bolla.
However, the Crescent Stars maintained attacking momentum and took the lead on nine minutes when Orkun Kokcu received Oguz Aydin’s pass and curled into the bottom corner from 20 yards.
Hungary sought a quick response, and Zsolt Nagy and Milos Kerkez both went close with ambitious shots that forced Ugurcan Cakir into action.
The visitors kept the pressure on, and duly ended their 10-match run without scoring in the opening 30 minutes after Barnabas Varga’s knockdown inside the area was volleyed into the net by Andras Schafer.
Late chances came at both ends before half-time as Hungary’s Varga headed wide from close range, while Aydin almost lobbed Denes Dibusz with a cross-shot that landed on the roof of the net.
After plenty of action before the break, a more cautious approach was taken in the second period, although the Magyars looked more likely to strike when Dominik Szoboszlai’s deflected effort was saved by Cakir.
However, after soaking up early pressure, Turkey suddenly burst to life and struck twice in four minutes.
First, Vincenzo Montella’s men restored their lead after Aydin dribbled down the right flank and crossed to find Kerem Akturkoglu, who headed in his fifth goal in six UN: appearances.
Irfan Can Kahveci then added a decisive third by racing onto Akturkoglu’s lay-off and unleashing a thumping strike into the bottom corner, putting the first leg beyond the visitors.
The match had been finely poised heading into the final 20 minutes, but Akturkoglu’s late magic helped Turkey to secure victory and extend their unbeaten home run to seven consecutive matches.
Defeat in Istanbul leaves Hungary with an uphill battle in the second leg at Puskas Aréna on Thursday as the Magyars suffered consecutive away defeats in competitive matches for the first time since November 2019.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Kerem Akturkoglu (Turkey)