Turkey managed to beat the tough resistance of the Czech Republic on the final matchday of Group F Euro 2024, Wednesday 26 June 2024. Vincenzo Montella’s squad won 2-1 to finish as runners-up in the Group.
Played at the Volksparkstadion, from the start this match was predicted to be tight. Türkiye is hunting for victory to ensure a ticket to qualify, while the Czech Republic is still carrying hopes of picking up a first win.
The match was intense. Turkey’s two winning goals this time were scored by Hakan Calhanoglu (51′) and Cenk Tosun (90+4′). The Czech Republic responded through Tomas Soucek (66′).
This victory saw Turkey qualify for the last 16 of the 2024 European Cup as runners-up in Group F. The Czech Republic had to be eliminated.
Türkiye needs a minimum of a draw to win a ticket to qualify for the round of 16. Because of this, Montella fielded his best squad for this match. The first 10 minutes, the match took place with high intensity.
Disaster for the Czech Republic. In the 20th minute, Antonin Barak was shown a second yellow card. Czech players protested, but the referee remained unmoved. Türkiye also benefits from having a superior number of players.
Even though they were superior in number of players, Türkiye could not score a goal until the end of the first 45 minutes. Türkiye’s chances are not dangerous enough. The match continued into the second round.
In the 51st minute, the goal Türkiye had been waiting for finally arrived. Calhanoglu was the creator of the attack, Yildiz’s shot was blocked by Stanek. Yuksek then grabbed the ball, who returned it to Calhanoglu, finishing with a shot into the bottom right corner. Goal! Czech 0-1 Türkiye.
In the 66th minute, the Czech Republic equalized. With the throw-in scheme, Türkiye’s defense was thrown into disarray. The ball then fell in front of Soucek who was ready to shoot. Goal! Czech 1-1 Türkiye.
After that, the match became more open. Türkiye continued to chase the second goal, but the Czech Republic looked dangerous every time they counterattacked.
In the 90+4 minute, Türkiye delivered the final blow. Receiving Kokcu’s pass from the side of the penalty box, Tosun stabbed inside and fired a low shot at the far post. Goal! Czech 1-2 Türkiye.
