Arda Guler matched and incredible record held by only Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo as Turkey reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2024.
There were high hopes for the final round-of-16 clash of Euro 2024, with two dark horses in Austria and Turkey meeting in Leipzig.
Fans certainly weren’t left disappointed as they were treated to a high-intensity match full of thrilling moments and drama as Turkey ran out 2-1 winners.
Merih Demiral was the unlikely hero for the Turks, scoring twice from set-piece situations having previously only scored twice for Turkey. The defender’s opener is the fasted goal in European Championship history.
Michael Gregoritsch pulled one back for Austria midway through the second half, but Turkey defended heroically to preserve their lead.
Ralf Rangnick’s side looked certain to equalise in the fifth minute of injury-time, but Mert Gunok kept out Christoph Baumgartner’s close-range header with an incredible save.
While Demiral took the plaudits for his instinctive finishes, Turkish wonderkid Arda Guler must also take huge credit.
The 19-year-old Real Madrid star created both of his side’s goals with superbly delivered corners that Austria simply couldn’t deal with.
The second was met directly by the head of Demiral, Guler’s first assist of the tournament.
Arda Guler- Getty
As well as doubling Turkey’s advantage, that moment of magic also created Euros history. Guler became only the third teenager to both score and assist in the same edition of a European Championship, following Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 19-year-old scored a stunning goal in Turkey’s 3-1 opening game defeat of Georgia.
The former Manchester United stars both achieved the feat during Euro 2004, 20 years ago.
Austria were one of the best sides at the tournament, but they became unstuck by Guler’s superb deliveries and Turkey’s relentless work ethic.
Turkey’s reward is a quarter-final clash with the Netherlands in Berlin on Saturday evening. The winner of that tie will face either England or Switzerland in the semi-finals.
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