For over 70 minutes, the Czechs played with one man less in the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg – and yet they kept their hopes of progressing alive until the end. The spectators were treated to a game on a knife edge that was less about technical finesse and more about tension and drama.
The exhausted Czechs were unable to land a lucky punch. Quite the opposite: Cenk Tosun sealed the deal with a powerful low shot into the far corner of the goal in the fourth minute of injury time. This meant that Turkey finally secured its place in the knockout phase, while the Czech Republic’s EURO adventure was over.
Barak flies early
The match could have taken a different course if Antonin Barak had played a little more skillfully. The Czech midfielder received two yellow cards from referee Istvan Kovacs within nine minutes (completely deserved). After just 20 minutes, he headed off to the showers.
Nevertheless, the Czechs were closer to taking the lead in the first half. David Jurasek had the best chance to break the spell after a counterattack shortly before the half-time whistle, when he appeared alone in front of the Turkish keeper. Mert Günok cleverly narrowed the angle and defused the shot.
Türkiye has been disappointing for a long time
Coach Ivan Hasek’s team missed two promising opportunities before the sending off: Lukas Provod forced Günok to make a save after just 117 seconds; a quarter of an hour later, Robin Hranac nodded a header from a promising position over the goal.
The Turks produced surprisingly little in the first half. Arda Güler missed the best opportunity for the 2008 European Championship semi-finalists when his scissor-kick was blocked by a Czech defender.
A lightning start – and then the fear
As sleepy as coach Vincenzo Montella’s team appeared before the break, they started with verve afterwards: Hakan Calhanoglu finished off a furious phase of pressure with a full-powered shot to make it 1-0.
Anyone who thought that the Turks would now stroll to a convincing victory was disappointed. The Czechs also gained morale from this setback – and were rewarded for it. In the 66th minute, Tomas Soucek successfully followed up on a doubtful goal by Günok – 1:1.
This is how it continues
While the Czech Republic returns home, Turkey will face Austria in the round of 16. The match will take place on Tuesday, July 2, at 9:00 p.m.
