(Austria – Turkey 1–2) The Austrian adventure is over. It's hard to believe they didn't get a chance to keep her alive.
The game was deep into extra time. During the four added minutes.
Austrian football artist Christoph Baumgartner soared high into the air and performed a headbutt, which the book executed perfectly.
But Turkey's Mert Gunuk was on the way and managed to save the European Commission from its most difficult dangers so far.
– he looks like Gordon Banks! Great. For a moment, says former England defender Matthew Upson on the BBC.
“This rescue will be remembered forever,” says NRK expert Kristoffer Løkberg.
– It's a sick save by Mert. One of the best I've seen. Timely and appropriate. Eternal hero in Turkey after that, writes TV 2 expert Morten Langley X.
“The agility, composure and strength, not only to keep the ball out of the net but to put it away, is incredible,” former Manchester City goalkeeper Joleon Lescott told ITV.
The save means Turkey has reached the quarter-finals for the third time at the European Championship. The football-mad nation also did so in 2000 and 2008.
There was also more drama in the second half.
In several corner kicks against Austria, cups and other objects were thrown where Turkish fans were.
The worst thing that happened was star Marcel Sabitzer who fell to the ground and hit his face. What happened to him is not certain. BBC He writes that Sabitzer was hit by “some object.”
Turkish player Kaan Ayhan asked his fans to stop throwing things.
Anyway, there will be no Austrian. Bring it back Against Holland.
Instead, it is Turkey who will be playing for a place in the semi-finals against the team in orange. They beat Romania 3-0 after some great play from Cody Gakpo among others.
In a tournament where many big names underperformed, Austria emerged as a wild card.
Naturally, a collective win in the competition against the Netherlands and France would raise more than a few eyebrows among the most ardent football fans.
But it stopped against Türkiye.
Graphics: www.sofascore.com
Many of the matches from the third round of the group stage onwards were – if not great – then at least yawns.
Turkey's Merih Demiral set the record after 57 seconds, and helped set the stage for the funniest match of the tournament so far.
After a pinball in the Austria penalty area, he put the ball into the net after a corner kick and secured the second fastest goal in EC history.
The centre-back scored twice – again from a corner. He thrashed two Austrians in the air and made it 2-0 on the hour.
Some might say it's against the flow of the game.
Then it was probably “right” that the deduction also came to Austria after a corner kick. No defenders picked up Michael Gregoritsch, who breathed new life into the game.
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