Merih Demiral scored a brace as Turkiye sealed a spot in the quarterfinals of Euro 2024 after beating Austria 2-1 at the Leipzig Stadium on Wednesday.
AS IT HAPPENED | AUSTRIA VS TURKIYE HIGHLIGHTS, EURO 2024
Take a look at the major talking points from the match:
MICHAEL GREGORITSCH GETS ONE BACK FOR AUSTRIA
A corner from Marcel Sabitzer was flicked into the far post with a header by Stefan Posch, where Michael Gregoritsch had an easy tap in.
DEMIRAL MAKES IT TWO
Merih Demiral doubled the lead for Turkiye in the 59th minute after slotting in a header at the near post, after jumping the highest in between two Austrian defenders.
MERIH DEMIRAL SCORES SECOND FASTEST GOAL IN EUROS HISTORY
Turkiye’s Mehir Demiral scored the second-fastest goal in the history of the European Championships, scoring after 57 seconds.
In the opening minute of the match, a corner for Turkiye was not properly cleared away by the Austrian defence and goalkeeper Patrick Pentz, causing the ball to fall to to Demiral who blasted the ball into an empty net.
SEVEN OF TURKIYE’S PLAYERS ARE ON A YELLOW CARD
Seven players in Turkiye’s starting lineup are on a yellow and risk missing out on their next match if they advance to the quarterfinal. Many of the players were booked during Turkiye’s match against Czechia, which broke the record for most cards dished out in a single match in Euros history with 18 (16 yellows and two reds).
Turkiye beat Czechia 2-1, but its celebration of making the knockouts was cut short by a brawl on the pitch.
HAKAN CALHANOGLU MISSES THE MATCH
Turkish skipper Hakan Calhanoglu who has started Turkiye’s all three group stage matches in the ongoing European Championship is not even in the squad for the crucial knockout match.
The 30-year-old player received a yellow card in Turkiye’s last group stage match against Czech Republic.
Earlier in the tournament, Calhanoglu picked up his first caution late on in the opening 3-1 win over Georgia for a clumsy tackle on Giorgi Kochorashvili.
According to UEFA rules a player is suspended if he gets two yellow cards.
Apart from Calhanoglu, Turkiye will also miss the services of Samet Akaydin due to suspension, while Austria will be without winger Patrick Wimmer.