Jamie Vardy saved Harry Kane’s blushes as Tottenham’s Jekyll and Hyde nature threatened to infect England’s Euro 2016 hopes.
Spurs striker Kane opened the scoring with a cool finish after just 120 seconds but missed a second-half penalty before Vardy hammered home from close range to win it.
No fewer than five Tottenham players were in Roy Hodgson’s starting line-up and all would have been desperate to hit the ground running and banish the memories of their late season Premier League collapse.
They got off to a dream start as top-flight Golden Boot winner Kane combined with White Hart Lane pal Dele Alli to put England 1-0 up.
Alli took the ball from Raheem Sterling and, with superb skill and vision, took just two quick touches to control then poke the ball through for Kane to shoot low past Turkey keeper Volkan Babcan - despite replays clearly showing him to be in an offside position.
Turkey’s boss Fatih Terim was less than impressed that the goal was given, even attempting to convince the fourth official by finding a replay on his smartphone - a move that promptly saw his mobile confiscated.
You cannot deny he had a point.
Skipper Wayne Rooney was missing due to his FA Cup final involvement with Manchester United, so the focus was on Kane and Vardy creating a partnership up front.
And the frontmen almost hit it off within a minute when Kane’s pass forward nearly put the 24-goal Leicester hitman clean through.
If Spurs fans were proud of their contingent’s immediate impact then on four minutes they had even more reason to be smug when Kyle Walker’s lunging block prevented Ozan Tufan scoring an immediate equaliser.
But on 13 minutes, his full-back partner Danny Rose was one of a host of Three Lions players at fault as Turkey forced their way level.
Eventual man-of-the-match Rose was caught hopelessly out of position and Volkan Sen took advantage of a complete shambles to nick the ball over an onrushing Joe Hart for Hakan Calhanoglu to steer into an empty net.
Turkey, who compete in Group D at Euro 2016 against Spain, Czech Republic and Croatia had not come to make friends and Sterling, Alli and Rose were all on the end of wild lunges that had the England bench up in arms.
Another Spurs midfield man Eric Dier - who scored the winner against Germany in Berlin back in March, went close with a header from a Jack Wilshere corner on 25 minutes. But the visitors’ in-your-face attitude seemed to cause England to stand off.
A number of players resorted to pot shots from distance as they tried to mount a case for the few remaining spots in Hodgson’s squad that may still be undecided.
Kane’s defining moment came on 71 minutes after Mehmet Topal was booked for what looked like a dubious call as he brought down Vardy in the box.
The Tottenham 22-year-old stood up confidently but smashed his penalty against the outside of the post.
But Leicester’s Premier League-winner Vardy showed his champion’s pedigree 12 minutes later when he gobbled up a rebound from a Gary Cahill header to notch his third goal in consecutive internationals.
England looked set to see out the game but they were given an almighty late scare two minutes into injury time when Hart produced a world class save down to his right to deny Sahan Olcay.
A good workout for Hodgson’s lads - but there is a lot to do if the Three Lions are to be a serious threat in France next month.
ENGLAND: Hart; Walker, Cahill, Stones, Rose; Dier; Alli, Wilshere; Sterling; Kane, Vardy
TURKEY: Babacan; Gonul, Topal, Balta, Erkin; Inan, Tufan; Calhanoglu, Ozyakup, Sen; Tosun.
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