With an early advantage and great goals from Calhanoglu and Cenk Tosun, the Turkish team won 2-1 against the Czech Republic in the final match of Group F on the morning of June 27, thereby winning the ticket to the next round with second place in the group.

 

Considered the “dark horse” of EURO 2024, the Czech Republic has shown a disappointing performance after 2 matches. Losing 1-2 on the opening day against strong opponent Portugal, the Czech Republic team continued to play poorly and was held to a 1-1 draw by Georgia. The challenge for coach Ivan Hasek and his team in the decisive match against Turkey is even more difficult when many key players are absent, including key striker Patrik Schick.

For Türkiye, the recent 0-3 loss to Portugal brought them back to earth. Hakan Calhanoglu and his teammates have 3 points, ranking 2nd, but if they do not play well, they can be eliminated. Therefore, coach Vincenzo Montella had to launch the strongest squad, including the return of “prodigy” Arda Guler.

Arda Güler returns to Türkiye’s starting lineup

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With no way back, the Czech Republic team took the initiative to attack. The first half was played at a very high speed and the ball continuously appeared in the penalty area of ​​both teams. In the 3rd minute, Lukas Provod fired a powerful shot from the 16m50 box, forcing goalkeeper Mert Günok to block it.

Responding to the Czech Republic’s attack, the Turkish team also launched a dangerous counterattack. Hakan Calhanoglu, in addition to playing the role of a rhythmic leader and connecting the defense and attack, was also ready to take the shot himself. In the 15th minute, the Turkish midfielder had a powerful shot from outside the penalty area, making the Czech Republic fans’ hearts skip a beat.

While attacking diligently and with positive signs gradually appearing, the Czech team suddenly found themselves at a disadvantage in terms of numbers. In the 20th minute, Antonin Barak stepped on the opponent’s foot, received a second yellow card and left the field.

The Czech Republic team increased the attack tempo from the beginning of the match.

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Unfortunately Antonin Barak received a second yellow card and left the field.

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After Antonin Barak’s red card, the game completely changed. The Czech team went from an attacking position to having to defend against Turkey’s attacks. The white team also took full advantage of their numerical advantage, organizing a variety of approaches to the Czech team’s goal. In particular, the two Turkish flanks with Kenan Yıldız and Arda Guler often brought fast and technical moves, causing many difficulties for the Czech defense.

At the end of the first half, the Czech team rose strongly. In the 45th minute, David Jurasek had a chance to face goalkeeper Mert Gunok but his shot was inaccurate. In the corner kick situation after that, the Czech team had 2 more chances to head the ball but could not put the ball in the opponent’s net once.

Czech Republic team rose strongly despite playing with one less player

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In the second half, the pressure from the Turkish team was even greater. Right from the first attack, Alper Yılmaz warned of a difficult match for the Czech team with a header that made goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek fly to block.

But after many “stormy” attacks from Türkiye, the Czech Republic players finally collapsed in the 50th minute. Hakan Calhanoglu – the most outstanding player on the field – fired an incredible shot from a narrow angle, completely defeating goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek, opening the score of the match.

Many fans at the Volksparkstadion were also surprised by the Turkish captain’s goal when he performed a superb outside kick. According to Sofascore , Hakan Calhanoglu’s goal had a speed of up to 125 km/h and goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek was injured when he flew to block it.

Hakan Calhanoglu opened the scoring

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Hakan Calhanoglu’s incredible kick

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Despite being under a ton of pressure and playing with one less player, the Czech Republic surprisingly equalized in the 51st minute. In a chaotic situation, the Turkish goalkeeper made a mistake and the ball found its way to Tomas Soucek. The Czech Republic captain did not miss the opportunity, unleashing a powerful kick to bring the match back to the starting line.

Tomas Soucek equalizes for Czech Republic

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The rest of the match continued at a very high pace. Turkey coach Vincenzo Montella sent more players onto the pitch in search of a goal while the Czech Republic continued to run despite playing with one less player. In the 90+4 minute, Cenk Tosun fired a beautiful shot, sealing a 2-1 victory for the Turkish team.

Winning 2-1 against CH Zcech, the Turkish team has 6 points, ranking 2nd in Group F. Hakan Calhanoglu and his teammates will face Austria in the round of 16 – the team ranked first in Group D. Meanwhile, the CH Zcech team has only 1 point after 3 matches, ranked last in Group F and was eliminated.