Demiral and Turkey take out Austria

16 years later, Turkey is back in the quarter-finals of a Euro. Vincenzo Montella’s team was not necessarily the favourite for its confrontation against Austria, but it managed to win (2-1) and the success is anything but usurped. A victory acquired, moreover, without captain Hakan Calhanoglu.

Demiral, the unexpected hero

The Turks can thank their central defender Merih Demiral. The former Juventus player scored from two corners. First, from the 2^e minute and a powerful strike following a game of billiards in front of the opposing line. Then, in the 59th^e minute by heading in a corner perfectly taken by Arda Guler.

The Austrians waited until they were two goals behind to finally react. Unfortunately for them, they managed nothing more than to save their honour through Gregoritsch (66^e). For once, Rangnick’s selection was forced to play the game. And if it had possession (57%) as well as the best number of shots (18 against 5), it was lacking at the forefront. The main regret will be the last opportunity in the 95th signed by Baumgartner, miraculously saved by Mert Gunok on his line.

Turkey does not want to stop there

Turkey, for their part, did not have to force themselves to snatch their qualification. Their efficiency on set pieces was enough to emerge victorious from this match. It could even have been 3-1 if Baris Yilmaz had not come up against the last Austrian bulwark on a devastating counterattack in stoppage time. With three wins in four games, they have completely confounded the predictions and can now aim for a presence in the last four.

In the next round, Guler and his teammates will face the Netherlands (Saturday at 9pm, in Berlin). It will be a completely different story against the Romanian conquerors. But there is hope. After all, they dominated the team that beat the Oranje in the first round (3-2).