In their match against Austria in the round of 16 of the Euro 2024 tournament, Turkey was able to secure a 2-1 victory.
Despite the absence of the inspirational midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu, Vincenzo Montella’s Turkey team took the lead in a match that was a stalemate between the unexpected winners of Group D and the runners-up of Group F. Merih Demiral scored the second-fastest goal in the history of the European Championships, striking the goal in just 57 seconds.
A bright comeback from Das Team was followed by a futile one for the remainder of the first half. They were undone by another corner kick from Arda Guler to Demiral early in the second half, and then Michael Gregoritsch, who came on as a replacement, set up an unmissable finish.
In the final twenty minutes of the match, Turkey was confined to their own half as Ralf Rangnick’s team threw everything at them. However, a combination of tenacious Turkey defense and wasteful Austrian deliveries brought an end to the Crescent-Stars’ sixteen-year absence from the quarterfinals of the European Championship.
In spite of the fact that Turkey is getting ready to play the Dutch, Das Team can take a moment to reflect on the positive signs that have emerged from their Euro 2024 campaign. Austria is still unable to secure a spot in the quarterfinals, and they are left to lament their second consecutive elimination from the round of 16.
The final match of the round of sixteen between Austria and Turkey was expected to be a wild affair that would be filled with early goalmouth action. The first five minutes of the match, or 57 seconds to be more exact, certainly lived up to the excitement that was generated prior to the game.
His seemingly innocuous corner diverted off of Stefan Posch and Christoph Baumgartner prior to coming into the path of Patrick Pentz. It should come as no surprise that Guler was the one who started the fight, albeit in a manner that was more unconventional than normal.
On the other hand, rather than attempting to collect the ball with both hands, the number one player from Austria palmed it badly and sent it straight into the corridor of doubt. Demiral was the player who responded the quickest and fired in the shot that broke the deadlock precisely 57 seconds later and gave Turkey the lead.
With this goal, the 26-year-old now holds the record for the quickest knockout goal in the history of the men’s European Championships. If Nedim Bajrami of Albania had not scored within 23 seconds of the start of the group stage match against Italy, he would also have the overall record.
After Demiral scored his second goal of the match and Gregoritsch cut the Austrian deficit in half, Turkey was facing an uphill battle in the final quarter of the play. They were able to resist assault after attack, which put them in a position where they were unable to win.
Baumgartner climbed to his highest point and sent a header from eight yards out towards the goal in the fifth minute of added time. Although Demiral and his center-back partner Abdulkerim Bardakci were unstoppable for the majority of the game, they were left with their hearts in their mouths.
On the other hand, just when Turkey needed him to produce the spectacular, goalkeeper Gunok made what should be remembered as one of the saves of the tournament. He sprung himself to the right and parried the ball behind for a corner, which resulted in nothing as Montella’s team collapsed to the ground in ecstasy. Gunok’s save should be remembered as one of the most impressive saves of the tournament.
The choice that Rangnick made to give Marko Arnautovic the nod in the number nine spot was a daring one, and it did not pay off in any way, as the former Stoke City player cut an often anonymous figure in the first half of the match.
He attempted to softly side-foot the ball past Gunok instead of lifting the ball past his Turkish compatriot, who of course come out on top. Arnautovic missed a wonderful opportunity to pull Das Team back in the tie during the second period. Gunok was the one who ended up winning the match.
While Arnautovic, who is 35 years old, may still be alive by the time the 2026 World Cup rolls around, his terrible performance and Gregoritsch’s great cameo should signify the passing of the torch. Gregoritsch, on the other hand, made the effect inside ten minutes that Arnautovic was unable to achieve in ninety minutes in Leipzig.
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