Czech Republic 1-2 Turkey: Tosun's late winner secures qualification for Turkey, Czechs bow out

Turkey secured their spot in the round of 16 of the 2024 UEFA European Championship with a hard-fought 2-1 victory against a resilient Czech Republic team, who unfortunately exit the competition without a single group stage win for only the second time in their history.

Knowing that only a win would guarantee their progression from Group F, Ivan Hašek's side found themselves at the bottom of the table when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia unexpectedly gave Georgia a lead in the other match against Portugal.

With the possibility of an early elimination looming, the Czechs sought to make an early impact against their familiar opponents, having suffered defeats against them in Euro 2008 and Euro 2016.

Lukáš Provod attempted a powerful long-range shot, but Mert Günok managed to save it, denying the Czechs an early breakthrough. The direct style of play caused difficulties for the Turkish defense, as Robin Hranáč headed the ball over the crossbar following a flick-on from Tomáš Souček after Vladimír Coufal's long throw-in.

However, all the positive momentum was abruptly halted when referee István Kovács controversially showed Antonín Barák a second yellow card for what seemed to be a relatively harmless challenge on Salih Özcan.

The Czech's momentum was halted, leading to Turkey increasing their intensity. Young talent Arda Güler attempted a spectacular strike from Hakan Çalhanoğlu's cross, narrowly missing the post.

Despite being down to ten men, David Jurásek's shot was saved by Günok, giving Hašek's team some hope at halftime.

However, Çalhanoğlu scored in the 51st minute, breaking the deadlock. Kenan Yıldız's shot was saved by Staněk before the ball reached Çalhanoğlu, who fired a wonderful effort into the far corner.

The Czechs equalized with a goal that Günok will want to forget, dropping a routine catch under pressure from Tomáš Chorý, allowing Souček to score.

In the end, Cenk Tosun sealed the victory for Turkey with a clinical shot in stoppage time, leaving Hašek's team disappointed.

The Czechs were left disheartened as they deserved a better outcome than finishing in fourth place.

Vincenzo Montella's team successfully secured the second position in the group, paving the way for a match against Austria next Tuesday in Leipzig.