Jakarta – The Turkish national team has surged into the quarter-finals of the European Championship, or Euro 2024, after a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Austria in the Round of 16. The match, held at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig on Wednesday early morning Indonesian time, saw Merih Demiral score both crucial goals for Turkey.
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With this win, Turkey is set to face the Netherlands, who had previously secured their quarter-final spot by defeating Romania 3-0. The highly anticipated quarter-final clash between the Netherlands and Turkey is scheduled to take place in Berlin on July 6th.
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Lightning Start for Turkey
The match exploded into action right from the kickoff. Within the first minute, Turkey seized the lead. A corner kick from Arda Guler caused chaos in the Austrian defense. Cristoph Baumgartner initially headed the ball away near the goal line, but his clearance unfortunately struck his teammate, Stefan Posch.
Austria’s goalkeeper, Patrick Pentz, managed to parry the deflection, but the ball fell favorably to Demiral, who reacted swiftly to fire it into the back of the net. The early goal sent waves of excitement through the Turkish supporters and put Austria on the back foot immediately.
Austria attempted to respond quickly to the setback. Baumgartner tried his luck with a shot that went wide, and moments later, Demiral was again in a critical defensive position, preventing Baumgartner from scoring as a dangerous ball flashed across the Turkish goalmouth.
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Guler almost extended Turkey’s advantage with an audacious attempt from midfield, but his long-range strike sailed just off target. Despite Austria’s efforts to equalize, Turkey maintained their 1-0 lead going into halftime, capitalizing on their early momentum.
Demiral Equals a Record, Austria Fights Back
Austria’s coach, Ralf Rangnick, made a double substitution at halftime, introducing fresh legs including Michael Gregoritsch, who had notably scored a hat-trick in a previous encounter between the two nations three months prior. The changes aimed to inject more attacking impetus into the Austrian side.
Austria threatened the Turkish goal when Marko Arnautovic found himself in a one-on-one situation with Turkish goalkeeper Mert Gunok, but Gunok stood tall and made a crucial save. Konrad Laimer also had a promising run from midfield but couldn’t convert his chance.
However, it was Turkey who struck again. In the 59th minute, another Guler corner proved decisive. This time, Demiral rose highest to meet the delivery and powered a header into the net, doubling Turkey’s lead. This goal was significant as it marked Demiral as the first European defender to score twice in the knockout stages of a major tournament since Lilian Thuram’s feat at the 1998 World Cup.
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Austria managed to pull a goal back in the 66th minute. Stefan Posch’s free-kick was met by Gregoritsch, who directed his shot into the Turkish goal, reducing the deficit to 2-1. The goal ignited a renewed sense of urgency in the Austrian team.
Heavy rain began to fall in Leipzig, but the downpour did not dampen the high tempo of the match. In a heated moment, Marcel Sabitzer was targeted by an object thrown from the crowd as he prepared to take a corner kick, highlighting the intensity of the encounter.
Turkey had an opportunity to seal the victory when Baris Alper Yilmaz broke through on goal, but his attempt was thwarted by Pentz, who made a good save to keep Austria in the game.
In the dying moments, Turkish goalkeeper Gunok produced another vital save, reacting sharply to deny Baumgartner’s header that was heading for the far corner of the net. Turkey held on to their slender lead, securing their place in the quarter-finals of a major tournament for the first time since Euro 2008. The final whistle sparked celebrations among the Turkish team and fans as they celebrated a historic Euro 2024 results.
Starting Lineups:
Austria: Patrick Pentz, Stefan Posch, Kevin Danso, Philipp Lienhart, Phillipp Mwene, Nicolas Seiwald, Konrad Laimer; Romano Schmid, Christoph Baumgartner, Marcel Sabitzer, Marko Arnautovic
Coach: Ralf Rangnick
Turkey: Mert Gunok, Mert Muldur, Merih Demiral, Abdulkerim Bardakci, Ferdi Kadioglu, Ismail Yuksek, Kaan Ayhan, Kenan Yildiz, Orkun Kokcu, Baris Alper Yilmaz, Arda Guler
Coach: Vincenzo Montella
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