As might have been expected, Austria v Turkey on Tuesday night turned out to be the game of EURO 2024 so far.
Few would have thought either team likely to go too far in this tournament but, after the group stages, they were definitively in the lead in the EUROs' entertainment stakes.
It did not take long for the action to get going in Leipzig, with Merih Demiral putting Turkey ahead after just 57 seconds, the fastest knockout goal in European Championship history.
Demiral would add a second after the break and, though much of the second-half was one-way traffic in the direction of the Turkish goal, Austria could only manage one goal back and were sent home in heartwrenching fashion.
The entire nation of Turkey has one man to thank, however, with the heroics of Mert Gunok in goal preventing a certain goal for Christoph Baumgartner in the dying seconds.
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Turkey goalkeeper pulls off all-timer save to send Austria home
With the clock hitting 94:00 and four minutes added on, Austria knew this would be their last chance to get the better of Turkey.
Christoph Baumgartner found himself underneath a last-ditch cross on the edge of the six-yard box and rose highest to head the ball firmly down to the ground. It appeared a certain goal - until the astonishing intervention of Mert Gunok.
FT: 🇦🇹 1-2 🇹🇷
Shades of Gordon Bank in 1970 as Mert Gunok makes a worldly save to deny Christoph Baumgartner a leveller - but Turkey held on to advance to the quarter-finals #EURO2024📺 @rte2 @rteplayer https://t.co/XnOP6grnB7
📱Live updates https://t.co/nKnJJUCeDu pic.twitter.com/9HSEp1BwmH— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 2, 2024
It was a truly remarkable stop, especially considering the slippery conditions, the bounce of the ball, and the do-or-die nature of the attempt from Baumgartner, and it left the watching world in disbelief.
Evoking memories of Gordon Banks' famous save against Brazil in 1970, Gunok has earned the plaudits of fans around the world.
Fuck. Ing. Hell. That save. 🔥💥
— Sid Lowe (@sidlowe) July 2, 2024
Wow. Mert Gunok.
What a save. Ridiculous. 😳 #AUSvTUR pic.twitter.com/FpT19Cjxbj— The Goalkeepers' Union Podcast (@GKUnion) July 2, 2024
Austria’s last minute header was worth 0.94(xGOT).
In other words, a goalkeeper would only be expected to save the effort 6% of the time. pic.twitter.com/9DL3nLTIYQ— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) July 2, 2024
If every game at a major international tournament was like Tuesday's Turkey triumph over Austria, we're not sure how we'd survive the two-year gaps between them.
Turkey now march on to face the Netherlands in Saturday's quarter-final in Berlin, with kick-off at 8pm Irish time.
SEE ALSO: Power Ranking The 8 Euro 2024 Quarter-Finalists
