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The centre-back was a beneficiary of the Crescent-Stars’ setpiece threat to eliminate Ralf Rangnick’s fancied side.
Turkiye notched an unexpected 2-1 win over Austria in the Euro 2024 round of 16 match at the Red Bull Arena to secure a place into the quarter-finals of the continental showpiece.
How it happened
No sooner had the match kicked off than centre-back Merih Demiral put Vincenzo Montella’s men ahead in the game’s opening minute, converting from close range after Patrick Pentz and Christoph Baumgartner failed to clear a corner.
Baumgartner nearly levelled moments after his costly error at the other end but his effort flashed just wide, while Demiral cleared a goal-bound effort off the goal-mouth.
It set the tone for what was to come for the rest of the half, with Ralf Rangnick’s men dominating the possession and territory, but failing to make it count against a resolute team with everything to lose.
While Turkiye found their feet following Austria's sustained pressure, it was short-lived as Das Team gained prominence afterwards as the half concluded.
Rangnick shook things up at the interlude, bringing on Michael Gregoritsch and Alexander Prass for Romano Schmid and Philipp Mwene, keen to spark his side into life to mount a second-half fightback.
However, it was Montella’s men who doubled their advantage, with that man again Demiral rising above the Austria defence to divert Arda Guler's corner for 2-0 just before the hour.
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Das Team were unlikely to go down without a fight, and so it proved with Rangnick's men halving the deficit in the 66th minute through half-time substitute Gregoritsch from yet another set piece.
The remainder of the game saw Austria pin their opponents back, seeking an equaliser but Das Team were thwarted either by a last-ditch block or a crucial interception.
Rangnick’s men very nearly forced extra time with a Baumgartner strike from point-blank range but Mert Gunok made a world-class save to deny the Austrians a leveller at the death.
The final whistle blew moments later, to send Turkiye into delirium as they advance to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2008 when they made the semis.
Montella's men will face the Netherlands in the quarter-finals at the Olympiastadion on July 6 for a place in the final four.
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