Turkey booked their place in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals with a dramatic 2-1 win over Austria in Leipzig on Tuesday evening.
Merih Demiral opened the scoring after just 57 seconds to kick-start what may well be remembered as the game of the tournament. The centre-back was in dreamland in the second half as he doubled Turkey’s lead from another Arda Guler corner.
Austria wouldn’t go down quietly, pulling a goal back in the 66th minute through Michael Gregoritsch. In fact, Ralf Rangnick’s men were only denied by some heroic goalkeeping from Mert Gunok and frantic defending from the Turkish backline.
Awaiting Turkey in their first European Championship quarter-final since 2008 is the Netherlands, who they’ll face in Berlin on Saturday.
But first, here are the full player ratings from a remarkable match in Leipzig.
Austria vs Turkey player ratings
Austria (4-2-3-1)
Patrick Pentz – 4/10 – Didn’t cover himself in any glory on Turkey’s first goal. Only redeeming factor was his 100% pass completion rate, but that’s no good if you don’t command your box.
Stefan Posch – 8/10 – Unlucky to see the ball hit him from close range on Turkey’s opener. Recovered quickly to provide a great attacking outlet for Austria, creating a match-high six chances, including the assist for Gregoritsch’s goal.
Kevin Danso – 5/10 – Beaten in the air by Demiral on the second goal, ruining what was otherwise a solid performance.
Philipp Lienhart – 4/10 – Equally to blame on Turkey’s second goal and looked like a red card waiting to happen after being booked. Rangnick was right to withdraw him.
Philipp Mwene – 6/10 – Tried his best to offer Austria a threat in the final third but things didn’t quite come off. Sacrificed at half-time as Rangnick made a tactical change.
Konrad Laimer – 6/10 – By no means his best game in an Austria shirt, but a strange choice to be brought off given he was at least trying to break into the Turkish penalty area.
Nicolas Seiwald – 7/10 – Positive on the ball, trying to keep Austria going forward. Alert to loose balls in the middle, making nine recoveries, two interceptions and two tackles.
Romano Schmid – 6/10 – Put in some decent deliveries from set pieces but was less effective from open play. Brought off at half-time.
Christoph Baumgartner – 5/10 – Was actually a constant threat, but marked down not only for failing to clear the ball on Turkey’s first goal, but also for missing some golden chances to level the score.
Marcel Sabitzer – 7/10 – A little restricted from open play but always looks capable of delivering a dangerous set piece, including the corner for Austria’s goal.
Marko Arnautovic – 5/10 – Tried to put himself about physically but was largely restricted by the Turkish defence. Broke through once but saw his effort smothered by Gunok.
Substitutes:
Alexander Prass (46′, for Mwene) – 5/10 – Tried to keep Austria on the front foot with some penetrating passes but sometimes forced the issue a little too much.
Michael Gregoritsch (46′, for Schmid) – 8/10 – Caused havoc from the bench and got Austria back into the match with his goal at the far post.
Max Wober (65′, for Lienhart) – 7/10 – Probably his best performance of the tournament, looking composed on the ball.
Florian Grillitsch (65′, for Laimer) – 7/10 – Tried his luck with a couple of efforts from distance and looked close to opening up the Turkish defence on a few occasions.
Turkey (4-2-3-1)
Mert Gunok – 9/10 – Raced out brilliantly to deny Arnautovic and showed great composure when the ball went back to him. Pulled out one of the greatest saves you’ll ever see to deny Baumgartner at the death.
Mert Muldur – 7/10 – Did well to offer Turkey an outlet on the right despite some relentless Austrian attacks. Well-tested defensively but held up just fine.
Abdulkerim Bardakci – 8/10 – Threw himself at everything to keep Austria out, making 10 clearances, eight recoveries and two interceptions.
Merih Demiral – 9.5/10 – Does it get much better than this for a centre-back? Two goals from corners to double his international tally and send Turkey to the quarter-finals. With 17 clearances, four blocks, three interceptions and two recoveries, Demiral was just as immense defensively as he was at the other end.
Ferdi Kadioglu – 8/10 – Just doesn’t stop, what an engine! Won 10 of his 13 contested ground duels and blazed up and down the left flank all night.
Ismail Yuksek – 7/10 – Put in a big defensive shift with three tackles, clearances and recoveries. Rightly subbed off just before the hour mark after picking up a yellow card.
Kaan Ayhan – 8/10 – Provided some composure in midfield during what was, frankly, a bonkers game. Of course, he had to get involved in some defensive work as well, making 11 clearances.
Arda Guler – 9/10 – An absolute gem of a talent. Caused all sorts of problems with his set-piece delivery, which yielded two goals, and handled the ball with such grace. Real Madrid have another future star on their hands.
Orkun Kokcu – 8/10 – Came off with what was hopefully just cramp near the end following a relentless effort in the middle.
Kenan Yildiz – 6/10 – Quieter than his attacking teammates but still put in plenty of hard work.
Baris Alper Yilmaz – 7/10 – Tried to use his speed and skill to test the Austrian defence and created a couple of decent openings. Worked hard without the ball.
Substitutes:
Salih Ozcan (58′, for Yuksek) – 7/10 – Provided good fight and composure from the bench.
Kerem Akturkoglu (78′, for Guler) – 5/10 – Never quite got into the game with Turkey forced back near the end.
Okay Yokuslu (78′, for Yildiz) – 7/10 – Threw himself into everything defensively to get Turkey over the line.
Irfan Kahveci (83′, for Kokcu) – 5/10 – Touched the ball once, didn’t get into the game.