It may not have been the game many were expecting, but there was a clear standout from round one of the EUROs - Tuesday's thriller between Turkey and Georgia.
Tournament debutants Georgia took on EURO regulars Turkey - with the latter eager to put the embarrassing memory of their disastrous performance in 2021 behind them.
The game took place against the backdrop of torrential rain in Dortmund ahead of kick-off, as well as a brief scuffle between the two sets of fans in the stands which required the intervention of German riot police.
What would transpire on the pitch was a brilliantly entertaining contest, with both teams going for it in a game which captured the attention of football fans who may have been forgiven for overlooking this fixture when planning their weekly schedule of viewing.
Turkey took the lead through a cracking volley from Mert Muldur early in the first half, before Georgia responded with their first-ever goal at a major tournament through Georges Milkautadze.
The highlight of the game, however, was the second half screamer from Real Madrid prospect Arda Guler.
It's rare you see two Goal of the Tournament contenders from the same team in the same game. Some hit from 19-year-old Arda Guler 🇹🇷pic.twitter.com/zLGKYrHIQx
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) June 18, 2024
The 19-year-old maestro curled in a sensational strike from distance to put the Turks back in front, and they would ultimately run out 3-1 winners thanks to Muhammad Akturkoglu's injury-time strike.
Guler has been noted as a potential star of the future in recent months, and his performances late in the season for Champions League winners Real had Turkish fans hoping for big things at these European Championships.
His electric strike on Tuesday had the stadium rocking - and Turkish commentator Ozkan Ozturk shared a brilliant clip of his ecstatic reaction in the stands in Dortmund.
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Turkish commentator captures reaction to Arda Guler screamer
Ozturk is working on the tournament for Turkish broadcaster TRT, and was in attendance for his country's opening match of EURO 2024 against Georgia on Tuesday.
His commentary of Arda Guler's memorable strike was already capturing the attention of worldwide football audiences before he posted a video of his reaction in the commentary box post-match.
Absolutely loving this clip of Turkish commentator Ozkan Ozturk reacting to Arda Guler's screamer this afternoon. Unrealpic.twitter.com/VR17nxkRqU
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) June 18, 2024
It's brilliant to see a commentator displaying such passion, on what was a memorable day for Turkish football.
This is the sixth appearance for Turkey at a European Championship and it was the first time they have not been on the losing side of their opening match.
They have now put themselves in a brilliant position to qualify, with even three points potentially enough to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.
In the other game in Group F on Tuesday, Portugal delivered a similarly dramatic moment with their last-gasp winner against Czechia.
Having fallen behind to another stunner from Lukas Provod, Portugal would turn things around, claiming the winner in stoppage time through youngster Francisco Conceicao - almost 24 years to the day since his father Sergio scored a hat-trick against Germany at EURO 2000.
Turkey will face Portugal in their next group game. They will stay in Dortmund for the game, which takes place on Saturday evening at 8pm Irish time.
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