LEIPZIG, Germany - "Turk ahead, Turk forward", words from a Turkish patriotic song, and proudly displayed on a banner by the Turkey supporters at Leipzig Stadium, and their team took those lines to heart to beat Austria 2-1 and advance to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals on July 2.

With Turkey deprived of their suspended captain Hakan Calhanoglu and defender Samet Akaydin, due to a mixture of ill discipline and a card-happy referee in their last game, Austria came in as favourites.

Austria coach Ralf Rangnick's high press, aggressive football was the talk of the tournament, but from the off it was Turkey who took the game by the scruff of the neck and never let it go.

The opening was played at a frantic pace, and a corner in the opening minute led to Turkey taking the lead through Merih Demiral, and they looked the more energetic side and the one with more desire, while Austria laboured to find a breakthrough.

Another corner early in the second half brought a second Turkish goal, and another for Demiral, and though they understandably began to run out of energy, they never lost their heart.

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