The chaos of Austria vs Turkey: Part Bundesliga, part South America, part lower-league

The eighth and remaining Euro 2024 last-16 tie didn’t really feel like a European Championship match in any respect.

In a horrendous downpour in Leipzig, which exaggerated the slide tackles and added to the chaos, Turkey and Austria performed out a sport on Tuesday night time that was a world away from the static, cautious tactical battle between France and Belgium the earlier afternoon.

It was, at instances, barely international-football high quality.

This felt like three separate video games from three separate settings.

The opening to the sport was like one thing from the German Bundesliga.

There have been frantic turnovers each minute. There was a correct ambiance courtesy of each the Austria supporters (who make noise in uncommon methods, like giving it the ‘Oooooh’ that numerous followers do at opposition purpose kicks for their very own aspect’s corners) and the Turkish ones. The large variety of Turks residing in Germany has made them virtually the secondary ‘dwelling’ aspect on this match, apparent in cities all through the nation every time they’re enjoying, however by no means clearer than on the precise matches.

Each units of supporters let themselves down within the second half by throwing objects onto the pitch — a coin from the Turkish finish struck Austria’s Marcel Sabitzer on the top — however for probably the most half this was an excellent soccer ambiance.

Then there was a interval the place this felt like a South American sport.

Austria, supposedly the masters of urgent, barely provided any depth for a lot of the second half, regardless of an unusually chilly July day seemingly being conducive to frantic chasing about. At 1-0 up, Turkey have been allowed time on the ball in defence. They have been able to knocking easy passes round in midfield with out being closed down.

In Arda Guler, beforehand deployed from the best however fielded right here as one thing between a false 9 and a basic No 10, they’d a diminutive, artful central attacker who was able to relieving the strain by dribbling previous a few opponents and holding onto the ball. Guler spent a lot of the sport pissed off together with his team-mates, beckoning them ahead to shut down, regardless of not doing a lot closing down himself, like a playmaker from a bygone period.

After which there have been intervals the place this felt like a lower-league sport.

The primary purpose got here from a nook that was deflected into the trail of a centre-back, Merih Demiral, who smashed it dwelling. The second went straight onto the top of the identical participant, who headed in. After which Austria’s reply got here from a nook flicked on by 6ft 2in (188cm) defender Stefan Posch and turned in by Michael Gregoritsch, an excellent taller (6ft 4in) backup striker who had been summoned from the bench at half-time as Austria went extra direct than they already have been.

The precise commonplace of soccer, it should be mentioned, was typically atrocious. Within the first half, Austria made a string of utterly unforced errors in possession. However within the second, they dominated the sport virtually mechanically as a result of Turkey, as they’ve a behavior of doing, utterly misplaced their heads. They approached the ultimate half-hour prefer it was the sport’s remaining 5 minutes, making no try to carry onto possession to maneuver up the pitch, or providing any form of cohesive counter-attacking.

At one level, Baris Alper Yilmaz broke into the field, strode in direction of the byline after which performed a cutback… solely to seek out no Turkey participant inside 20 yards of him, such was their contentment with sitting deep and defending.

There was a wierd second in second-half stoppage time when Turkey received a throw-in down the best, an apparent second to waste a little bit of time. However midfielder Okay Yokuslu went haring up the pitch seeking a ahead throw which clearly by no means got here, then discovered himself out of place and appeared to pressure a muscle operating again in direction of his personal purpose. Turkey utterly didn’t handle the sport.

Then got here one of many moments of the match.

With 4 minutes of stoppage time nonetheless to play, and with precisely 94:00 on the clock, Mert Gunok made a surprising save that immediately made you consider each Peter Schmeichel and Gordon Banks. The transfer that led to it was completely typical of the second half: a cross from the best was headed clear, then a cross from the left was nodded in direction of purpose.

RB Leipzig’s Christoph Baumgartner, enjoying at his membership’s dwelling stadium, then did all the pieces proper — heading the ball down and again the place it got here from — and but Gunok, seemingly shifting within the incorrect course, not solely judged the bounce and reached the ball, but in addition shovelled it across the put up and out for a nook. It was a sport that deserved further time, however that save was an equally becoming ending.

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Mert Gunok’s unbelievable save saved the tie from going to further time (Ralf Ibing – Firo Sportphoto/Getty Photos)

Austria, for all of the plaudits about their enchancment previously couple of years, exit the Euros on the identical stage as within the match’s earlier enjoying three years in the past — once they put up a severe struggle earlier than taking place 2-1, after further time, to Italy, the eventual champions.

It appears unlikely they’ve fallen to the eventual winners once more this time.

Turkey are extremely entertaining (showing in two of The Athletic’s three greatest video games of Euro 2024, thus far), fiery and emotional, however their full lack of tactical intelligence was unimaginable to disregard. They’d solely six pictures final night time and conceded 21, a sample you’d roughly count on, contemplating they have been main from the primary minute of the sport till the final. However actually, all they provided right here was the flexibility of their centre-backs within the penalty field — twice within the opposition space, seemingly 100 instances in their very own.

However this was what this match wanted.

The second spherical began properly, earlier than some slow-burn matches prompted muttering in regards to the lack of leisure worth at these Euros.

That is the weaker half of the last-16 draw, so it’d as properly be good enjoyable. And this was superb enjoyable.

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(High photograph: Emin Sansar/Anadolu by way of Getty Photos)