Turkey secured a spot in the Euro 2024 knockout stage by defeating the Czech Republic 2-1 on Wednesday, with Cenk Tosun scoring in stoppage time to seal the win at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion.
Tosun, coming off the bench, broke the deadlock in the final moments. Evading two tired defenders on the left, he delivered a powerful shot inside the far post, ensuring Turkey's progression and eliminating the Czech Republic.
“This is just the start,” Tosun said. “I’m delighted with my goal. We spoke about it beforehand, how this is exactly the time for it.”
The goal triggered celebrations among Turkish fans, but also led to a skirmish involving players and substitutes on the field. Czech forward Tomas Chory received a red card in the aftermath, while team captain Tomas Soucek and Turkey’s Arda Guler were shown yellow cards.
Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs had a busy night, issuing 18 yellow cards and sending off Czech midfielder Antonin Barak in the 20th minute. Barak received his first yellow for a tactical foul in the 11th minute and the second for a stamp on Salih Ozcan’s foot.
“I only saw him in the break,” Czech coach Ivan Hasek said about Barak. “He was sad, with his head in his hands. He really punished himself by beating himself up about it.”
Following Barak’s dismissal, Turkey launched wave after wave of attacks. Kenan Yildiz, Hakan Calhanoglu, and Guler continually pressured the Czech defense.
The Czech team was without their star player Patrik Schick, who missed the match due to a calf muscle injury. Schick received a booking for protesting from the bench, marking his only contribution to the game.
Yildiz was booked for a stamp on Robin Hranac in the 37th minute and narrowly avoided a second yellow after elbowing Vladimir Coufal in the face, an incident missed by the referee.
Calhanoglu broke the deadlock in the 51st minute with a low shot inside the far post. Czech goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek made a brilliant save to deny Mert Muldur but couldn't reach Calhanoglu’s powerful strike.
Stanek had to leave the match due to an apparent shoulder injury sustained during his initial save, with Bayer Leverkusen reserve goalkeeper Matej Kovar replacing him.
Soucek equalized for the Czech Republic in the 66th minute following a goalmouth scramble where the ball was cleared off the line. A VAR check confirmed that goalkeeper Mert Gunok was not unfairly hindered.
The Czechs, needing another goal to advance, saw their hopes dashed by Tosun’s late strike.
“It’s disappointment. We all wanted to advance. We had a goal to beat them from the start but we didn’t make it, that’s disappointing,” Soucek told the Czech public broadcaster.
Soucek acknowledged the difficulty of playing a man down and lamented the goals conceded.
“We all did the maximum,” he added. “I have to thank all my teammates. It’s just a sad end.”
The Czech Republic finished bottom of Group F, behind Georgia, which secured a surprise 2-0 victory over group winner Portugal to progress as one of the best third-place teams.
Turkey finished runner-up in the group with six points and will face Austria in Leipzig on Tuesday.
