Turkiye beat Austria 2-1 in the pouring rain in Leipzig as they reached the quarterfinals of EURO 2024 after a wild game.
[ MORE: EURO 2024 schedule, bracket ]
Merih Demiral scored after 57 seconds to put Turkiye ahead and he then scored another from a corner in the second half to put Turkiye in a commanding position.
But Ralf Rangnick’s Austria never gave up as Michael Gregoritsch pulled one back and they pummelled Turkiye late on as goalkeeper Mert Gunok made an absolutely unbelievable save in the 94th minute to deny Christoph Baumgartner and equalizer.
Vincenzo Montella’s young Turkish side have exceeded expectations at this tournament as they were missing key players against Austria due to suspension, but got the job done.
Chaos the key as Turkiye’s young stars stand tall
Turkiye stunned Austria to reach the quarterfinals of EURO 2024 and Arda Guler was the star as their youngsters stood tall. The 19-year-old whipped in two incredible deliveries from corners which led to Demiral’s goals and his quality was unbelievable in such a high-pressure situation. The Real Madrid playmaker is going to the very top. Yilmaz, 24, and Yildiz, 19, were superb in attack too as Turkiye defended resolutely but then had quality on the ball when they did win it back to launch counters, make runs forward from everywhere and create chances. It was chaotic and it wasn’t pretty but they got the job done as this side seemed to use Turkiye’s stunning run to the EURO 2008 semifinals as a blueprint. They will make it horrible for the Netherlands on Saturday in Berlin and Turkiye will fancy their chances of reaching the final four again. EURO 2024 has its fairytale story.
Austria vs Turkiye player ratings
Via our friends at FotMob.com you can see Demiral was incredible with two goals and a heroic defensive display, while Arda Guler was so creative and always wanted the ball. Turkey were chaotic and that confused Austria, who still had Baumgartner and Sabitzer in good form as they tried their best to get level.
What’s next?
Turkiye now head to Berlin where they play against the Netherlands at the Olympiastadion on Saturday, July 6 at 3pm ET.
How to watch Austria vs Turkiye, stream link and start time
Kick off: 3pm ET, Tuesday (July 2)
Stadium: Leipzig Stadium
How to watch on TV, stream in USA: Fox Sports
Austria vs Turkiye final score: 1-2
Demiral 1', 59'; Gregoritsch 66'
Austria vs Turkiye live updates! - By Joe Prince-Wright
Full time: Austria 1-2 Turkiye
They have done it. Wild celebrations from the Turkiye fans in Leipzig. Flares are going up and they are going crazy. That is their first time reaching a quarterfinal of a major tournament since 2008 when they reached the semifinals of the Euros. Wow. Austria threw absolutely everything at Turkiye. But they held on.
What a save by Gonuk!
A looping cross to the back post finds Baumgartner and he heads across goal but Gonuk produces an incredible stop in the 94th minute. Gonuk is the hero!
Just an incredible stop from Gunok in the 94th minute. Wow. Just wow. pic.twitter.com/SN3Olq93Q6
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) July 2, 2024
Baumgartner heads wide
Constant pressure from Austria now and a cross comes in which Gunok misses and Baumgartner heads wide. He can’t believe it. He thought he had scored.
Brilliant finale to a fantastic game
Buckle up. 15 minutes to go and Austria are having a real go here. What a treat this game has been. Turkiye holding on as the rain pours down in Leipzig. Just magic. This is what tournament football is all about. Two teams chasing their dream of reaching an unexpected quarterfinal.
Austria are back in it! Gregoritsch finishes - Austria 1-2 Turkiye (66th minute)
Well, this is what we wanted! Austria have a corner and it is flicked on at the near post and Michael Gregoritsch does really well to prod home at the back post. Game on!
AUSTRIA TAKES ONE BACK 🇦🇹
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 2, 2024
Game. On. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/SH9NEQlDAD
They’ve done it again! Demiral heads home - Austria 0-2 Turkiye (59th minute)
Just like the first goal, Arda Guler whips in a fantastic corner and Demiral heads home. Incredible. Turkiye’s fans go bonkers. Guler’s deliveries have been excellent.
Sublime delivery from Arda Guler and he sets up Merih Demiral to score his second of the game. Absolute scenes. Turkiye fans go bonkers! #EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/2QxPmMh27t
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) July 2, 2024
Posch denied
Posch drives into the box and his effort is blocked by Demiral. Austria cranking up the pressure. Turkiye hanging on.
Big stop from Gunok
Arnautovic is played in and he’s 10 yards out, center of goal and one-on-one but Gunok speeds off his line and smothers the shot. Brilliant stop from the Turkiye goalkeeper. Much better from Austria.
Half time: Austria 0-1 Turkiye
Well, well, well, Turkiye have turned up in a big way. They scored early, have looked dangerous every time they’ve gone forward and are defending so well. Austria have had a few chances but have had no control of this game. What a brilliant first 45.
Austria struggling to find their tempo but Baumgartner goes close
The Austrian side we’ve seen for most of this tournament has yet to turn up. That early goal from Turkiye really knocked the stuffing out of them. No pun intended. A cross from the right just before half time finds Baumgartner but he is surprised it made it to him and it goes wide.
Demiral with a great chance
Another fine corner from Guler finds Demiral at the near post but he misses the ball with his head and it hits his shoulder and goes over. So close to a second for Demiral and Turkiye.
Guler tries a shot from 45 yards out
Some lovely play by Turkey and Arda Guler tries his luck from 45 yards out but it flies wide. What a breathtaking start to this game.
It should be 1-1!
A corner from Austria sees everyone miss it, including Turkey’s goalkeeper, defenders and multiple attackers, as Baumgartner can’t convert at the back post. Just chaos! We’ve had less than five minutes!
What a start! Demiral scores - Austria 0-1 Turkiye (1st minute)
Both teams had chances early and then Turkiye won a corner which was whipped in superbly. Demiral pounced on the loose ball to smash home. Pandemonium. The goal is timed at 58 seconds, which is the second-fastest in the history of the European Championships.
Demiral smashes home inside the first minute. Chaos! What a start. Austria vs Turkiye always looked like being the liveliest of the last 16 games. Both teams already had chances at this point! #EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/aUsFUvNtV3
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) July 2, 2024
Austria lineup
Pentz; Posch, Danso, Lienhart, Mwene; Laimer, Seiwald; Schmid, Baumgartner, Sabitzer; Arnautovic
Turkiye lineup
Gunok; Muldur, Bardakci, Demiral, Kadioglu; Ayhan, Yuksek; Guler, Kokcu, Yildiz; Yilmaz
Austria team news, focus
Winger Patrick Wimmer is suspended for this game but Rangnick has plenty of options to come in for him with Michael Gregoritsch pushing for a start. Christoph Baumgartner and Konrad Laimer could come back into the starting lineup. Can Marko Arnautovic go again up top? Austria have plenty of options and most importantly every single player knows the exact job they have to do.
Turkiye team news, focus
Montella has some big decisions to make with Calhanoglu and Akaydin both out, as Akturkoglu would be a more attacking option to replace Calhanoglu in midfield but Okay Yokuslu would give Turkiye a more solid base in central midfield. At center back Kaan Ayhan could start, while Murt Muldur, who has born in Austria, has been excellent at right back. Turkiye have a whole host of exciting attacking players which Montella has to line up in the right combinations to get the best out of them.
Austria vs Turkiye prediction
This is going to be a fun one as both teams know this is a big opportunity for them to reach the last eight unexpectedly. Austria probably just have the edge given how well they played in the group stage and how dangerous they’ve looked on the counter, as Turkiye struggled against Portugal’s counters and were caught out stepping too high. Austria 3-1 Turkiye.