Merih Demiral shone brightly as Turkiye clinched a spot in the Euro 2024 quarterfinals by defeating Austria 2-1 at the Leipzig Stadium on Wednesday.
Match Highlights: Austria vs Turkiye
Michael Gregoritsch Pulls One Back for Austria Michael Gregoritsch netted Austria’s only goal, tapping in after a corner from Marcel Sabitzer was flicked to the far post by Stefan Posch.
Demiral Doubles Turkiye’s Lead In the 59th minute, Merih Demiral scored his second goal of the match, leaping between two Austrian defenders to head the ball into the net, extending Turkiye’s lead.
Second Fastest Goal in Euros History Demiral also made history by scoring the second-fastest goal in European Championship history, netting after just 57 seconds. A poorly cleared corner by Austria’s defense fell to Demiral, who capitalized on the opportunity.
Key Talking Points
Turkish Players at Risk of Suspension Seven players from Turkiye’s starting lineup are on a yellow card, risking suspension if they advance further. These bookings primarily occurred during Turkiye’s record-setting match against Czechia, which saw a total of 18 cards issued.
Hakan Calhanoglu’s Absence Turkish captain Hakan Calhanoglu missed this crucial knockout match due to suspension. He had accumulated two yellow cards in the group stage matches against Czechia and Georgia. Samet Akaydin was also suspended, while Austria played without winger Patrick Wimmer.
Turkiye now looks forward to the quarterfinals, with hopes high and key players at risk of missing out due to accumulated yellow cards.
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