Euro Result: Czechia 1-2 Türkiye

With a late goal from substitute Cenk Tosun, Türkiye defeated a ten-man Czech squad and advanced to the round of 16.

Right from the start of play, Czechia surged high into the Türkiye half; both teams were still in the running for the round of 16, but only Ivan Hašek‘s squad needed to win.

Both managers deployed updated offensive lineups to demonstrate their intentions. Arda Güler and Kenan Yıldız, both 19 years old, were brought on by Vincenzo Montella. After 13 minutes, Arda Güler gained space through the middle but missed the mark from the edge of the Czech box.

Türkiye took the lead after Antonín Barák was sent off after 20 minutes due to a second yellow card, which was the quickest dismissal in EURO history. After being initially alarmed, Vincenzo Montella’s charges drove the Czechs into a tight two-line blockage as they looked for a way through.

But against the flow of play and just before halftime, David Jurásek rocketed down the left to score a low shot that compelled goalkeeper Mert Günok to dip low and preserve a draw.

In the second half, attempts from Barış Alper Yılmaz and Kenan Yıldız soon placed Czechia under pressure once more. A few minutes thereafter, when the Czech team was struggling to repel an unrelenting Türkiye, captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu scored a powerful goal against Jindřich Staněk, marking his first goal in the EURO in eight games.

Still, the valiant Czechs were not done. Unexpectedly, in the 66th minute, TomaŁs̯ Souc̯ek, another inspired captain, was on hand to direct in the equalizer after Mert Günok failed to receive a long ball from Czechia.Well, game proceed!

As the game approached extra time, substitute Cenk Tosun made a cut inside, ducked past two players, and found the bottom corner. Both teams were going for the victory. With Czechia’s elimination from EURO 2024, Türkiye secured their place in the round of 16.

Important Statistics

The past three times these two teams have faced off, Türkiye has prevailed each time.
In their three meetings in the EURO, Türkiye has defeated Czechia. They have already triumphed in the group stage on Matchday 3 in 2008, 2016, and 2024.
In their previous 14 EURO group stage games, Czechia has only triumphed three times (D3 L8).
In the 27 previous EURO games for Czechia, a goal has been scored at the end of every game. They last played to a scoreless draw in the semi-final matchup with France in 1996, which they ultimately won on penalties.
Czechia’s 15 international games have only seen them fail to score in one.
Only once in their history has Czechia finished a EURO group stage without a victory. They were eliminated from EURO 2016 with a draw and two losses.
In their previous 11 European matches, Türkiye has only won twice (D1 L8).
Only one clean sheet has been maintained by Turkey in their previous 15 European matches.
For the third time, Türkiye has advanced to the knockout stages. In 2000, they advanced to the semifinals, and in 2008, to the quarterfinals.
Hakan Çalhanoğlu made his eighth appearance in the EURO, matching Hakan Balta and behind just Rüştü Reçber, the top appearance maker for Türkiye (9).
The earliest red card in EURO history was given to Antonín Barák of Czechia in the 20th minute, surpassing Eric Abidal’s expulsion for France in the 24th minute against Italy in 2008.