A late performance from Cenk Tosun sends Turkey to the round of 16 against Austria, sixteen years after the last time. At the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg it was a goal from the Besiktas center forward that gave Montella’s team success, which beat the Czech Republic 2-1 and closed group F with 6 points, but ended up behind Portugal due to the defeat in the direct match. Nothing to do for Hasek’s national team, with ten men for over 70 minutes after Barak’s expulsion and eliminated.
Barak expelled
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Montella has two results out of three to get through and plays with the usual 4-2-3-1 to give space to his team’s attacking talent: Yilmaz is up front, supported by the quality of Arda Guler, Calhanoglu and Yildiz. Hasek chooses the 3-man defense and relies on the Hlozek-Chytil duo up front, with Barak suggesting. The Fiorentina midfielder was the unfortunate protagonist of the first half, due to an expulsion in the 20th minute: the Czech was forced to leave the field due to a double yellow. The first was remedied after a shirt pull, the second after a stomp on Ocan. The liveliest of the Turks is Guler, who immediately tries with a shot from distance and around half time with a half overhead kick, hitting the wall set up by the Czech Republic. Another jolt comes with Calhanoglu’s shot from distance, but the the Czechs have a great opportunity in the first half: just a breath away from the break, Juracek has the lead one-on-one with Gunok, but the goalkeeper’s intervention is prodigious.
question and answer
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Montella’s team returns to the field more determined and passes in the 51st minute. Calhanoglu takes care of it, who hits Stanek with a great right-footed shot diagonally after a miracle by the Turkish goalkeeper on Yildiz. For the captain of Turkey it is the 19th goal for the national team, the third scored against the Czech Republic. Hasek’s team accuses, but after a handful of minutes it settles down and returns to show itself in front: it is Soucek, the other captain, who restore parity in the 66th minute. The Turkish defense falls asleep on a throw-in by Coufal and Gunok comes out badly: after a series of rebounds, the ball reaches the number 22, who throws a powerful right-footed shot under the crossbar and makes it 1-1. The Czechs only need the three points to hope, so they discover themselves and leave room for Turkey’s lethal restart. In full recovery, the great play from 9 by Cenk Tosun, who pierces Stanek with a great right, puts the point to the match. Montella brings Turkey back among the best 16 on the continent.
