And breathe. The frenzied assault on the senses that was Turkey against Georgia is over and has been settled by a rare moment of clarity and sublime precision by Real Madrid teenager Arda Guler.
One touch on this thigh to accept the ball and turn inside from the right, another touch to advance into space and assess his options and a third to shape his shot into the top corner with his left foot.
It was a goal fit to win any contest and will serve to announce 19-year-old Turk to a wider audience. He is the first teenager to score at this tournament and the first since Cristiano Ronaldo to score on his Euros debut.
In Turkey they have been calling for boss Vincenzo Montella to thrust him into the team, after an injury-hit first season in the Spanish capital.
Montella answered the call and could not have hoped for a better outcome on a day which began with a torrential pre-match downpour and scuffling in the stands between damp fans from rival camps and refused to draw breath until the seventh minute of stoppage time when Kerem Akturkoglu broke clear to score Turkey’s third into an unguarded goal because Georgia goalkeeper Girogi Mamardashvili had gone up for a corner.
Arda Guler (left) produced a magic moment to help Turkey seal a 3-1 victory against Georgia
The Real Madrid teenager produced a rocket of a strike to help Turkey take a 2-1 lead vs Georgia after 65 minutes
The victory means Turkey will go top of Group F, with Czechia and Portugal to play later on Tuesday night
[data-podcast-container] #embed-iframe-wrapper { min-height: 160px; } [data-podcast-container] header#podcast-container-header { transform: none !important; }
Once again, the place erupted.
Turkey fans transformed Dortmund’s famous Yellow Wall into a Red Wall for a day and their players set off terrific tempo, fully charged and committed to attack with 19-year-old starlets on either flank.
There was Guler wide on the right, all impish feints and disguised passes, and on the left, there was Kenan Yildiz of Juventus, tall, strong and elegant, with a pace off the mark and fondness for darting inside to threaten goal.
With Hakan Calhanoglu directing play from deep and Orkun Kokcu buzzing about they took control, went close from a couple of corners, and Kaan Ayhan struck the inside of a post with a fizzing drive from 25 yards.
Georgia were pinned in their half for 20 minutes but when they did they caused the Turkish problems.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia lifted fans with a spot of trickery involving a nutmeg and Anzor Mekvabishvili forced a save but they went behind midway through the first half to a goal that was every bit as good as Guler’s.
Ferdi Kadioglu’s cross from the left was only partially cleared and, as it dropped from the sky, Fenerbahce full-back Mert Muldur set himself and unleashed a ferocious volley, which flew and faded into the top corner.
Two minutes later they thought they were two up and the stadium was shaking. Guler’s low cross was flicked on by Kokcu but Yildiz was offside as he slammed the ball high into the net at the back post.
Mert Muldur (right) opened the scoring for Turkey after 25 minutes of the match
Georgia found an equaliser, with Georges Mikautadze (second left) striking in from inside the penalty area
This was Georgia’s first appearance at a senior men’s international tournament and there were scenes of jubilation after the goal went in
Turkey, meanwhile, have failed to advance out of the groups at Euro 2016 and Euro 2020
Guler (front) led the celebrations after he became the youngest player to score on their Euros debut, since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2004
There was no flag, and the celebrations were wild, but the goal was ruled out once the artificial intelligence had done its thing.
As the noise subsided, Georgia levelled. Yildiz, back in his own penalty area to defend, could not stop Giorgi Kochorashvili and his low cross was converted by Georges Mikautadze at the near post.
Briefly, the unfancied team at their first major tournament were on top. Mikautadze volleyed a glorious chance wide.
Turkey dominated the second half until the Guler show-stopper but Georgia summoned a late flurry.
Kvaratshkelia slid an effort wide at full stretch and Mikautadze missed the target when he should have scored and they were still hunting for an equaliser when Akturkoglu sped clear.
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
Mail Online
