The Turkish national team has started a European football championship with a success for the first time. The Turks won an attractive duel with European Championship debutants Georgia 3:1 (1:1) in Dortmund on Tuesday.
Twice exactly in the corner
Two wonderful goals from Viennese Mert Müldür (25th) and talented Arda Güler (65th) gave team boss Vincenzo Montella a happy 50th birthday.
The final score was scored by Kerem Aktürkoglu, who scored into the empty net in the 97th minute, just like in an ice hockey match, because Georgia’s goalkeeper had gone forward in the finish. Georges Mikautadze (32nd) had scored the equaliser in his country’s first European Championship match.
Thousands of Turkish fans created a home game atmosphere for the favorites, who dominated the game from the first minute but had a hard time dealing with Georgian attacks. Kaan Ayhan’s shot hit the inside post (10th minute) and Turkey were only centimeters away from taking the lead, but goalkeeper Mert Günok was able to clear a deflected shot from Mekvabishvili for a corner (11th minute).
The Georgians’ five-man defense held out against the pressure until the 25th minute, when Müldür came on. The full-back, who grew up in Vienna and trained at Rapid, took the ball directly in the box and fired it into the top corner. Two minutes later, the Turks turned away again, celebrating, but Kenan Yildiz’s goal was disallowed for offside.
Georgia does without Bundesliga’s best player
And instead of a clear lead, the score was suddenly 1:1. The team of team manager Willy Sagnol, who did not use Austrian champion Otar Kiteishvili from Sturm Graz and only brought on WAC defender Sandro Altunashvili in the final phase (89th minute), capitalized on one of their most dangerous forays through Mikautadze. The striker hit the near post and almost added another three minutes later, but the second attempt went just wide of the goal.
Güler goal stuns
The same picture emerged after the break. Turkey dominated the game, and the Georgians repeatedly countered dangerously. And again Turkey took the lead with a long-range shot into the top corner. Güler, a 19-year-old talent from Real Madrid, buried the ball from 20 meters. The Turks’ celebrations knew no bounds.
GOAL: Turkey 2-1 Georgia!
ARDA GÜLER SCORES AN ABSOLUTE WONDER STRIKE! pic.twitter.com/zAWL7a8P3e
— Euro 24 Hub (@Euro24Hub) June 18, 2024
The underdog almost managed a perfect response, however, when a shot from Giorgi Kochorashvili hit the crossbar (70′). In injury time, Kochorashvili and Samet Akaydin had two great chances to equalize before Aktürkoglu scored into the empty net on the counterattack. Turkey goes into Saturday’s Group F clash against Portugal with three points, while Georgia faces the Czech Republic.
Rain flood and fan clashes
The match took place on good pitch conditions because the stewards in the stadium cleared up the effects of heavy rain two hours before kick-off with brooms, wooden slats and a lot of physical effort. They swept the water that fell like a torrent from the roofs and flowed down the stairs into open drains.
The police also did a great job when fans of both nations attacked each other in the stadium about an hour before the game. Cups and other objects flew through the air, but the police quickly calmed the situation down.
The storms in Germany came in the middle of the European Championship with many public viewing events. On Tuesday, the Turkey vs. Georgia match was played in Dortmund and the Portugal vs. Czech match was played in Leipzig. In Dortmund, the fan zone at Friedensplatz and the public viewing area at Westfalenpark were closed in advance. Up to 80,000 Turkish fans were out and about in the city.
Tore:
- 1:0 (25th) Muldur
- 1:1 (32.) Do not forsake them
- 2:1 (65.) laughs
- 3:1 (90.+7) Aktürkoğlu
Lineups
Türkiye: Günok – Müldür (85th Celik), Akaydin, Bardakci, Kadioglu – Ayhan (79th Demiral), Calhanoglu (91st Özcan) – Güler (79th Yazıcı), Kökcü, Yildiz (85th Aktürgoglu) – Yilmaz
Georgia: Mamardashvili – Kakabadze, Kverkvelia (85. Zivzivadze), Kashia, Dvali, Tsitaishvili (74. Lochoshvili) – Kochorashvili, Mekvabishvili (89. Altunashvili), Chakvetadze (74. Davitashvili) – Mikautadze, Kvaratskhelia
(Source: SALZBURG24/AA)
2024-06-18 17:58:11
#Euro #Dream #goals #Türkiye #freak #Georgia
