Austria despairs of Turkish thunder-and-lightning heroes
Before the first minute elapses, Austria is behind in the EURO eight-finals against Turkey. Three major heroes decide the exciting game in the crucial moments. For attention, a greeting and a song are provided. Ralf Rangnick is heavily disappointed and looks forward.
Christoph Baumgartner was just centimeters away, he would have become a hero in the rain of Leipzig. In the fifth minute of added time, the Austrian striker heads towards the goal, the fans of the Red-White-Red are ready to cheer. But Mert Günok saves everything from his 1.96 meters, parries fantastically at the right post, keeping the ball out just in time and securing Turkey a dramatic 2:1 (1:0) victory in the EURO eight-finals. Günok's flying save is the spectacular finale of an exciting football evening.
The 35-year-old is often in the spotlight because the numerous Austrian attacking efforts end with one exception at least with him. 21 shots are made by Marko Arnautovic & Co., only one is successful, only once does Günok have to yield: Stefan Posch heads in a corner from Marcel Sabitzer, Michael Gregoritsch is free at the long post and scores the equalizing goal. Another goal, however, does not come for the Austrians. Because Günok is one of three major heroes who ensure that Turkey takes the lead after just 57 seconds and never gives it up until the final whistle.
The second major hero is Arda Güler. The "wonderful victory" (Günok) begins with a wonder kid's standard in the first minute of play. The 19-year-old talent from Real Madrid takes a corner from the right side in front of the goal, where the third major hero completes it. The 1:0 from Merih Demiral is the fastest goal in a knockout game of a European Championship according to UEFA. In the 59th minute, Güler brings another corner from the right side sharply in front of the goal, where Demiral is again in the right place to head in the 2:0. Six shots on target are enough for the Turks to score two goals, as they hold out against the constant pressure of the Austrians.
"It feels very surreal, very grotesque, that we have to travel home after such a performance," says Austria's national coach Ralf Rangnick afterwards, whose team had risen to secret favorites after the 3:2 win against the Netherlands in the last group game. But instead of the Austrian team, they will face the Oranje on the coming Saturday (21 hours/RTL, MagentaTV and in the liveticker at ntv.de) in Berlin, who have reached the quarterfinals just a few hours earlier with a clear 3:0 success against Romania.
On the way to the stadium, the Austrian fans had sung merrily "Who the fuck is Arda Güler?" The acclaimed 19-year-old then did a lot to answer this question from the kick-off onwards. From a steep pass from Güler, an corner is created in front of the 1:0, which he then hits powerfully into the penalty area, allowing Demiral to score a blitz goal. Ecstasy on one side, shock on the other.
Austria responds with angry attacks, but something crucial is missing: a poacher. Much of it reminds us of the Portuguese game the night before, where Football-Europe realized that the aging, but apparently still unbeatable Cristiano Ronaldo could no longer glorify the good work of his teammates as in earlier days. The Austrians also create numerous good finishing positions - but they have no one in the center of the attack who can convert them into goals.
Baumgartner's header statistically almost unacceptable
And when the chance does come (gigantic), Günok is there. In the 51st minute, Austria's captain Arnautovic is free in front of him, but loses the one-on-one duel against the 35-year-old. In the 69th minute, Günok holds against Gregoritsch, in the 73rd minute he clears a corner in front of Maximilian Wöber. The fact that he flies by a wing in the 84th minute is quickly forgotten, because Baumgartner's header misses the target. After all, it's the save in the final seconds that remains in memory. With a header whose success probability, according to "Expected Goal" calculations, is at 94%, Günok uses his minimal chance of only 6% and deflects the ball past the post. For comparison, a common penalty kick has a success rate of about 75% in the goal.
"We have very, very, very unluckily lost," summarizes a dejected Rangnick, his players shed tears on the pitch after the final whistle. With the final whistle of referee Artur Soares Dias, Turkish jubilation echoes through the sold-out stadium, because the Austrians, despite their clear ball possession advantage (60:40), could not achieve anything significant. Also, because the Turkish team is superior in two-on-two situations and decides 56% of them.
Defender Merih Demiral wins 64% of his two-on-two battles, the most important one being in the opponent's penalty area in the 59th minute. The 26-year-old manages to get past two opponents, who had switched from Atalanta Bergamo to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia the previous year. His club coach there is incidentally German Matthias Jaissle, but that's another story. Demiral ensures that Turkey reaches the EURO quarterfinals again after 16 years - while the Austrians miss it for the first time ever at a continental tournament.
Demiral's greeting and singing from Austrian fans
Demiral, however, causes a stir not only with his two goals, but also with his jubilee gesture after the 2:0. With his hands, he forms the so-called Wolfsgruß, a symbol of the "Grey Wolves," as the supporters of the right-wing "Ülkücü-Movement" are called, who are under observation by the German Constitution Protection Agency. In Austria, the greeting is banned, but not in Germany - how the UEFA reacts remains to be seen. The European football association has repeatedly sanctioned political symbols that are considered "inappropriate for a sports event."
After midnight, Demiral expressed himself at the Leipzig Stadium regarding his gesture: The joy had "something to do with my Turkish identity", there was "no hidden message" behind it, rather he had "seen people in the stadium making the same gesture." He was "very proud to be Turkish, and that's the meaning of this gesture", Demiral continued. "I just wanted to show how much I was enjoying myself and how proud I was." Furthermore, he hinted at repeating the gesture at an appropriate opportunity.
However, some Austrian fans caused a stir before the game. They chanted racist and xenophobic slogans to Gigi D'Agostino's "L'amour toujours," which have been heard frequently throughout Germany in recent weeks. Such incidents seem alarmingly normal in the face of the political right-wing shift in Europe. They cast a shadow over a notable football evening that deserved to be in the spotlight due to the lightning goal after 57 seconds, the desperate attempts of the Austrians, and the ruthless defending of the Turks, whose joy broke out in thunderous cheers after 95 minutes.
Turkey seeks reparation, Austria must recalculate
For the Turkish footballers, it is a form of reparation for the humiliating 1:6 defeat inflicted upon them by the Rangnick team in March. "We had at least as many scoring opportunities as in that Kanter victory," but the German trainer disputed this, visibly struggling with the elimination. The 65-year-old and his team had therefore expected to face a third game in Berlin-Grunewald's Olympiastadion, which will also host the final on July 14.
However, "unfortunately, such all-or-nothing matches can also be lost," Rangnick summarized. "It's completely clear that there's a void and a disappointment right now." It doesn't help much that the Austrian fans applauded him and his players as they left the stadium. Among those who follow the ÖFB team, there is pride in having earned respect at this EM. The fact that this elimination in the round of 16 is a disappointment for Rangnick is paradoxically an achievement.
The 65-year-old, who gave up his job with the Austrian Football Association to take the position at FC Bayern, has brought red-white-red football a long way in his two years as the national coach. He demonstrated this even in the midst of the disappointment. "We're currently in first place in the UEFA ranking," Rangnick concluded. "I believe that was the case for Austria for decades." This first place would increase the chances of drawing a manageable group in the WM qualification draw in December.
When Austria last participated in a World Championship, Rangnick won the title with SSV Ulm 1846 in the then third-tier Regionalliga Süd. In the German charts of that year, Céline Dion was at the top with "My Heart Will Go On," while Oli's "Flugzeuge im Bauch" came in second. This is from 1998, a time when we paid with Deutsche Mark and Schilling, and Zidane made himself immortal with two goals in the WM final. That was so long ago that Christoph Baumgartner, Leipzig's nearly hero, was not even born yet.
After the disappointing loss, Ralf Rangnick reflects on Austria's performance and expresses his belief that they deserve respect for their performance at the European Football Championship 2024. He also mentions their current ranking at the top of the UEFA chart, which increases their chances for a manageable group in the World Championship qualification draw.
Despite Austria's numerous attacking efforts, Mert Guňok's incredible saving skill in the crucial moments secures Turkey's victory in the EURO eight-finals. Guňok, a major hero of the game, parries a header from Christoph Baumgartner in the fifth minute of added time, keeping the ball out just in time and ensuring a dramatic 2:1 victory for Turkey.
Before the EURO eight-finals match between Austria and Turkey, right-wing extremist slogans are heard from the Austrian fans towards the Turkish team. These incidents, which seem alarmingly normal in the face of the political right-wing shift in Europe, cast a shadow over the notable football evening.
