DPA
Leipzig
Merih Demiral made European Championship history as part of a brace as fighting Turkiye stunned fancied Austria 2-1 on Tuesday to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2008.
Demiral opened the scoring after 57 seconds for the fastest goal ever in a Euros knock-out match, and nodded the second in the 59th, both off corner kicks from young star Ardar Güler.
Substitute Michael Gregoritsch pulled one back in the 65th but Austria failed to level despite sustained pressure in Leipzig as their strong run came to a sudden end, with Turkiye goalkeeper Mert Günok making a sensational last-gasp save against Christoph Baumgartner.
Austria had impressed in the group stage with victories over Poland and the Netherlands, and had thrashed Turkiye 6-1 in a March friendly, but all that was to no avail on a rainy night in Leipzig - where coach Ralf Rangnick and several of his players have a history at local club RB Leipzig.
Boosted by their large fan base, Turkiye held on for a famous victory and advanced into a quarter-final against the Netherlands on Saturday in Berlin.
There they will be without Ismail Yüksek and Orkun Kökcü due to suspensions, after playmaker Hakan Calhanoglu and Samet Akaydin had missed Tuesday’s match for the same reason.
