A fiery Turkey side took the first step towards a solid Euro 2024 campaign as they beat Georgia 3-1 in what was one of the best matches in the tournament so far.
The side started on the front foot and a strike from outside the box by Ayhan struck the post in the 11th minute of the game. It was an end-to-end game which saw both sides produce a flurry of attacks.
Mert Muldur scored a thunderous volley from outside the box to give the Turkish the lead in the 25th minute. The side also doubled their advantage minutes later but was ruled offside.
Georgia scored their first-ever goal at a major tournament and the stadium went wild in the 32nd minute as Georges Mikauatadze scored a historic goal for the country which prompted the game to get levelled before the half-time whistle.
Georgia's Anzor Mekvabishvili, foreground, and Turkeys Abdulkerim Bardakci challenge for the ball during a Group F match between Turkey and Georgia at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Tuesday, 18 June, 2024.
Image: PTI
A lot of talk surrounded the Real Madrid prodigy and the 19-year-old did not let his hype go in vain as he became the youngest-ever goal scorer on his debut in the history of the UEFA European competition.
His brilliant strike came in the 65th minute of the game when he hit a powerful shot that curled into the top left corner of the goal giving the keeper no chance of saving it.
Turkey's Abdulkerim Bardakci, top, and Georgias Georges Mikautadze challenge for the ball during a Group F match between Turkey and Georgia at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Tuesday, 18 June, 2024.
Image: PTI
Despite the 2-1 lead, Turkey were never comfortable in the game as Georgia really put a foot on the pedal in the final few minutes of the game. Chaos ensued as two close chances saw Turkey clear the ball off the line on Davitashvili’s attempt was cleared off the line.
The corner that followed saw Georgia’s goalkeeper come up in an attempt to equalize but a counterattack saw Akturkoglu run the length of the pitch and take the score to 3-1. Turkey will face Portugal in their next encounter whereas Georgia will take on the Czech Republic.
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