16 years later, Turkey has done it. On Tuesday, July 2, the Turks won against Austria in Leipzig (2-1), in the round of 16 of Euro 2024. Since 2008, the selection had not passed a round in the knockout phase of a major competition. Vincenzo Montella’s men will face the Netherlands on Saturday in the quarter-finals (9 p.m.).
The Turks held
In front of an incandescent crowd – like in all their matches in Germany – the Turks opened the scoring straight away. On an inbound corner taken by Madrid’s Arda Güler, the Austrian defence struggled to clear. Defender Merih Demiral (Al-Ahli) took advantage and catapulted the ball into the back of a left tackle (1-0, 1st).
Apart from a right-footed shot from Christoph Baumgartner (45th + 1), there was nothing to report from Ralf Rangnick’s players in terms of attack in the first half. More incisive in the second half, the Austrians once again paid for their laxity from set pieces. At the near post, Demiral got ahead of Lienhart and Danso to score twice (2-0, 59th). He is the first defender to score two goals in a knockout match of a major tournament since Lilian Thuram in 1998.
2 – Merih Demiral is the first defender to score twice in a knockout match in a major competition (World Cup+EURO) since Lilian Thuram in 1998. Memories.#AUTHOR pic.twitter.com/VBvdZ5WPye
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) July 2, 2024
Struggling defensively on corners, Austria is more comfortable in the attacking area. Michael Gregoritsch took advantage of a deflection from Stefan Posch to get back to within one goal (2-1, 66th). This reduction in the score made Vincenzo Montella’s men fall back.
Grouped together in a low block, the Turks suffered during the last quarter of an hour while leaving the ball to the Austrians. Despite the Austrian goodwill, Turkey painfully maintained its advantage.
In the final action, goalkeeper Fehmi Mert Günok kept out Baumgartner’s header to keep his country ahead. Despite their good performances in the group stage, the Austrians stopped in the last 16. The Turks, meanwhile, are the last to qualify for the quarter-finals.
