Demiral double takes Turkey past Austria and into quarter-finals
A tie that had promised noise, tempo and a rattling intensity delivered emphatically. At its conclusion Turkey’s substitutes and staff could hurtle on to the pitch in celebration of a quarter-final spot, their colleagues having seen out wave after wave of Austria pressure that did not yield a leveller. They will face the Netherlands in Berlin after seeing out a game they led for all bar the first 57 seconds, the centre-back Merih Demiral scoring the second-fastest goal in European Championship history and adding another in the second half. Despite a response from Michael Gregoritsch and a frantic finale that brought heroics from the Turkey keeper Mert Gunok, there was to be disappointment for Ralf Rangnick’s highly fancied team.
The smart money had been on an early goal; the surprise was that it came from Turkey. They had been well warned about Austria’s propensity to score inside the first 10 minutes and, when Rangnick’s side poured forward from kick-off, it seemed reasonable to anticipate more of the same.
