Turkey completed the line-up for the quarter-finals with a 2-1 win over Austria in Leipzig in the last 16 of the 2024 European Football Championship.
Al-Ahly Saudi defender Merih Demiral scored Turkey’s two goals (1 and 59), and Austria responded with a goal by Michael Gregoritsch (66).
Türkiye will face the Netherlands in the quarter-finals on Saturday in Berlin.
Türkiye avenged its heavy 1-6 loss to Austria in a friendly match last March.
Turkey played the match without their influential captain Hakan Calhanoglu, who was suspended for receiving two yellow cards in the group stage. He was replaced by Kaan Ayhan, while Real Madrid’s young winger Arda Guler played as a striker.
On the other hand, Austria’s central defender Kevin Danso returned to the squad after missing the last two matches, noting that he played the first match against France and his collision with Kylian Mbappe caused the latter’s nose to break.
Veteran Marko Arnautovic led the front line, assisted by Marcel Sabitzer and Christoph Baumgartner.
Less than a minute into the match, Turkey managed to open the scoring when Guler lifted a corner kick that the Austrian defense failed to clear, so it fell to Demiral, the Al-Ahly Saudi defender, who followed it from close range into the roof of the net.
Austria almost equalised immediately when Baumgartner fired a powerful shot from the edge of the area that went just wide of the post.
Austria’s German coach Ralf Rangnick strengthened the attacking front at the beginning of the second half by bringing in Michael Gregoritsch, who scored a hat-trick against Turkey four months ago.
The Austrian team pressed at the beginning of the second half and almost equalized when Arnautovic was alone with the Turkish goalkeeper, who brilliantly blocked his attempt.
But Turkey succeeded in adding the second goal through Demiral as well, who rose above everyone to head the ball into the net from a corner kick lifted by Guler (59).
Ironically, Demiral scored two goals in his first 47 international matches, before scoring the same number in his 48th match.
Gregoritsch succeeded in reducing the difference when the ball reached him at the far post following a header from Stefan Bosch from a corner kick, and he shot it into the roof of the net (66).
The Austrian team pressed on its opponent, and Baumgartner almost equalized, but he headed over the crossbar (83).
Türkiye goalkeeper Mert Gunuk brilliantly saved a Baumgartner header in the dying seconds to avoid extra time.
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