Demiral at the double as Turkey beat Austria to reach quarters
A pulsating start gripped this round of 16 tie as Austria launched a promising attack from kick-off and conceded before one minute was even on the board.
The opener came from Arda Güler’s corner that pinballed in the six-yard area before Patrick Pentz scooped the ball to Demiral, who finished high into the net to make Turkey the fastest-ever goalscorers in a Euros knockout match.
As the second-highest scorers in the Euros group stages, Austria weren’t going to submit and Christoph Baumgartner’s edge-of-the-area snapshot whistled past the post in the second minute.
Eventually, both sides regained defensive composure, but the midfield pulse kept thumping and Real Madrid starlet Güler tried to lob Pentz from inside his own half, only to send his effort swerving wide.
Austria would have to muster a response to Turkey’s rapid opener as Das Team looked to notch their first competitive win over the Crescent Stars since 1988, with Marko Arnautović forcing Mert Günok into an early save after HT.
However, it was the same deadly duo that did the damage to double Turkey’s lead as another tantalising Güler corner was met by Demiral’s bullet header that flew past a rooted Pentz.
Vincenzo Montella’s outfit had the quarter-finals in their sights until Austria substitute Michael Gregoritsch set up a tense finale by tapping in Stefan Posch’s knockdown following a Marcel Sabitzer corner.
Das Team threw everything at Turkey late on, but Montella’s side – without the help of their suspended captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu dug in as Günok produced an incredible last-gasp stop to see out their third Euros victory in four.
Austrian hopes were high after Ralf Rangnick’s side pipped France and the Netherlands to an unlikely top spot in Group A, yet Das Team’s long-term quest to go beyond the Euros round of 16 stage rumbles on after two Turkey set pieces proved decisive.
Ultimately, Demiral’s finishing touches and some stout defending got Turkey over the line, sparking wild celebrations as the Crescent-Stars set up a quarter-final meeting with the Netherlands.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Merih Demiral (Turkey)
