Czechia 1-2 Türkiye: Cenk Tosun snatches win as Türkiye go through

Cenk Tosun came off the bench to strike deep into added time and give Türkiye victory over nine-man Czechia in Hamburg – a result that took Türkiye into the round of 16 while Czechia bowed out.

Match in brief: Türkiye through after gripping finale

Arda Güler: one of Türkiye's brightest young talentsUEFA via Getty Images

Czechia immediately pushed high into the Türkiye half from kick-off, with both sides still in round of 16 contention at the start of play but only Ivan Hašek's team required to win.

Showing their intent, both coaches fielded refreshed attacking lines. Vincenzo Montella deployed 19-year-old duo Arda Güler and Kenan Yıldız, and 13 minutes in, Arda Güler found space through the middle but fired over from the edge of the Czechia box.

When a second yellow card saw Antonín Barák dismissed after 20 minutes – the earliest sending-off in EURO history – Türkiye began to take control. Initially rattled, Czechia were forced into a compact two-line blockade as Vincenzo Montella’s charges probed for a breakthrough.

However, on the stroke of half-time and against the run of play, David Jurásek motored goalwards down the left to unleash a low drive that forced goalkeeper Mert Günok to drop low and keep the scores level.

Attempts from Barış Alper Yılmaz and Kenan Yıldız quickly put Czechia back under pressure in the second half. And minutes later, as the Czechs scrambled to fend off a relentless Türkiye, captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu connected sweetly to beat Jindřich Staněk with a fierce strike – his first EURO goal in eight appearances.

However, the brave Czechs were not finished. In an unexpected twist in the 66th minute, Mert Günok failed to gather a Czechia long ball, with another inspirational skipper, Tomáš Souček, on hand to steer in the equaliser. Game on!

Both teams were going for the winner and as the game entered added time, subsitute Cenk Tosun cut inside, shimmied beyond two defenders, before finding the bottom corner. Türkiye secured their round of 16 spot as Czechia exited EURO 2024.

Skipper Souček turned in the equaliserGetty Images

Vivo Player of the Match: Barış Alper Yılmaz (Türkiye)

He was a constant threat in the game, threatening spaces in behind. He was a threat while carrying the ball, and also provided dangerous crosses.
UEFA Technical Observer panel

Ondřej Zlámal, Czechia reporter

In a difficult position from the start without the injured Patrik Schick, Czechia's situation worsened when they were reduced to ten men. But they showed their spirit, never gave up and stayed in the contest until Cenk Tosun's late winner. They exit the tournament with their heads held high, yet may be ruing the chances they failed to take against Georgia.

Aydin Güvenir, Türkiye reporter

In a match full of suspense, the tempo slowed significantly as Türkiye dominated after their opponents had a man dismissed. Czechia also had their chances, threatening dangerously in the air from set pieces. An absorbing ending ensued, but Türkiye held their nerve and scored late to seal victory and go through in second.

Reaction

Barış Alper Yılmaz, Türkiye forward: "It was an incredible atmosphere. In the final minutes everyone's pulse was racing and it was a very exciting match. When we spoke before the tournament, our first aim was to get out of the group. This generation can achieve incredible things.'"

Lukáš Provod, Czechia midfielder: "We are extremely disappointed. We did not achieve our goal to qualify from the group. We wanted to win, fought for it, gave everything, but we lost."

Ivan Hašek, Czechia coach: "I'm disappointed that we are going home because this team have so much potential for the future. We wanted to show this here. However, the main reason we failed was because we did not beat Georgia [on Matchday 2]."

Key stats

Türkiye celebrateAFP via Getty Images

• Türkiye have won each of the last three meetings between these teams.
• Türkiye have won all three EURO encounters against Czechia. They’ve now won in 2008, 2016 and 2024 – all on Matchday 3 of the group stage.
• Czechia have won only three of their last 14 EURO group stage matches (D3 L8).
• None of Czechia’s last 27 EURO matches have finished without a goal being scored. The last time they were involved in a 0-0 draw was the 1996 semi-final against France, which they went on to win on penalties.
• Czechia have only failed to score in one of their last 15 international matches.
• Czechia have failed to complete a EURO group stage without a win on only one previous occasion. That was at EURO 2016 when they exited after a draw and two defeats.
• Türkiye have won just two of their last 11 EURO matches (D1 L8).
• Türkiye have kept only one clean sheet in their last 15 EURO fixtures.
• Türkiye are through to the knockout rounds for the third time. They reached the quarter-finals in 2000 and the semi-finals in 2008.
• Hakan Çalhanoğlu made his eighth EURO appearance, bringing him level with Hakan Balta and only one behind Türkiye’s leading EURO appearance-maker Rüştü Reçber (9).
• Czechia's Antonín Barák’s 20th-minute red card is the earliest in EURO history surpassing Eric Abidal's 24th-minute dismissal for France against Italy in 2008

Line-ups

Czechia: Staněk (Kovář 55); Holeš, Hranáč, Krejčí; Coufal, Souček, Provod (Lingr 75), D Jurásek (M Jurásek 81); Chytil (Kuchta 55), Barák, Hložek (Chorý 55)

Türkiye: Mert Günok, Mert Müldür, Samet Akaydin, Merih Demiral, Ferdi Kadıoğlu; İsmail Yüksek (Yokuşlu 63), Salih Özcan (Kaan Ayhan 46); Arda Güler (Cenk Tosun 75), Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Orkun Kökçü 87), Kenan Yıldız (Aktürkoğlu 75); Barış Alper Yılmaz