Turkey advanced to the Euro Cup 2024 last-16 with a 2-1 win over a resilient Czech Republic on Wednesday. Goals from Hakan Calhanoglu and Cenk Tosun secured Turkey’s spot, while the Czechs were eliminated.
Midfielder Antonin Barak was shown a controversial second yellow card in the 20th minute, leaving the Czechs to play with ten men. Despite their disadvantage, the Czech team displayed impressive spirit and determination.
Read more: Euro Cup 2024: Georgia Stuns Portugal With 2-0 Victory, Advances To Round Of 16
Calhanoglu opened the scoring in the 50th minute with a precise low shot, his first goal in his third Euros, sparking celebrations among the numerous Turkish fans in Hamburg. Czech goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek, who appeared to injure his shoulder during a save, had to leave the match after Calhanoglu’s goal.
The game took another dramatic turn when 19-year-old Arda Guler missed a chance to double Turkey’s lead. Shortly after, Tomas Soucek equalised for the Czechs in the 66th minute, capitalising on a chaotic long throw-in.
In a thrilling finish, Tosun scored the winner in stoppage time, igniting wild celebrations on the Turkish bench and among their supporters. This victory erased the memories of Euro Cup 2020, where Turkey had three losses and conceded eight goals.
Defender Mert Muldur said, “We all fought very well together. We had a hard time against such teams in the past. I think we have improved ourselves.”
Turkey finished second in Group F behind Portugal, setting up a last-16 match with Austria on July 2 in Leipzig. Winger Baris Alper Yilmaz added, “When we talked with our friends before the camp, our only goal was to get out of the group. We kept our promise. Now we will proceed step by step. We are very happy.”
The Czechs, needing a win to advance, were left disappointed. Captain Soucek criticised the “disrespectful” red card and expressed his frustration. “It is a disappointment because we all wanted to advance,” he said. “Everyone did the maximum. The morale was huge. Just a sad end… But that is football.”
Portugal, already assured of top place in the group, unexpectedly lost to Georgia, who advanced as one of the best third-placed finishers. The Czechs finished their campaign at the bottom of the group with just one point.
