6/18/24
Group F
Türkiye 3 vs. Georgia 1

Müldür on the Dancefloor as Türkiye dazzle in Dortmund


Amos Murphy, 14 min ago
Mert Müldür and Arda Güler both netted Goal of the Tournament contenders as Türkiye opened up their UEFA Euro 2024 campaign with a gutsy 3-1 victory over newbies Georgia.

Georgia's big day was nearly over before it began, as torrential rain had drenched the Signal Iduna Park and created a spectacular waterfall from the roof. Once conditions had stabilised, the home of Borussia Dortmund erupted midway through the first half when Müldür opened the scoring with a sensational finish. Connecting first time with a headed clearance, Müldür’s volley zipped into the top corner of the Georgia net, leaving goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili no chance of making a save.

Shellshocked by the opener, Georgia’s maiden European Championship encounter looked to have gone from bad to worse when Kenan Yıldız netted a second at the back post, only for VAR to come to their rescue and chalk the goal off for a marginal offside. Grateful for that reprieve, Georgia took full advantage to snatch an equaliser just five minutes later. Left unmarked inside the box, Georges Mikautadze squeezed his instinctive finish into the bottom corner, making history by becoming the first-ever Georgian scorer at a major tournament.

After the madness of the first half, it was no shock to see both sides struggle to match the same intensity in the second period. It didn’t stop either team’s attacking endeavours though, with Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s long-range free-kick forcing a stinging save from goalkeeper Mamardashvili. Georgia’s own talisman, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, threatened to break the impasse at the other end, but his outstretched effort drifted wide of the target completely.

That missed chance would end up punishing the tournament debutants, with Güler curling a wonder strike into the top corner to send the Turkish support inside Signal Iduna Park into raptures. A statement entrance from the 19-year-old, who has now scored seven goals from his last seven starts for club and country. Georgia huffed and puffed in their search for an equaliser, with Mikautadze firing wide before a late free-kick came off the post and Samet Akaydin made a goal-saving block. Those interventios proved priceless, as from the resulting corner Turkey substitute Kerem Aktürkoğlu raced clear on the counter before slotting into an empty net to seal victory in an instant Euros classic.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Arda Güler (Türkiye)

Turkey vs Georgia

6/18/24
Group F
Portugal 2 vs. Czechia 1

Conceição strikes late as Portugal dodge reality Czech


on Radcliffe, Just now
Francisco Conceição netted a last-gasp winner as Portugal came from behind to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1 in their 2024 UEFA European Championship Group F opener in Leipzig, winning for just the second time in seven attempts at the group stage of this competition.

Amongst the pre-tournament favourites for the trophy, Portugal kicked off their Euro 2024 campaign against a Czech outfit that had lost just one of their previous 14 matches, and Roberto Martínez’s men were frustrated for much of the first half. In the opening half-hour, they were reduced to efforts from distance, with Nuno Mendes and Bruno Fernandes both trying their luck to no avail.

As HT approached however, Portugal created more opportunities, with Rafael Leão inches away from getting on the end of Fernandes’ low cross following a quick counterattack, before Jindřich Staněk twice denied strikes from Cristiano Ronaldo, who was making his record-extending 27th appearance at a European Championship. Czech Republic stood firm defensively to go into the break still on level terms, although they were unable to cause Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa any problems whatsoever.

After the interval, Martínez’s outfit remained on top, as Diogo Dalot and Bernardo Silva fired over before Ronaldo saw a free-kick parried to safety. Czech Republic, meanwhile, posed very little attacking threat until the 62nd minute when they stunned Portugal by breaking the deadlock against the run of play. They had managed just one shot, and zero on target, prior to Lukáš Provod curling a lovely first-time strike into the far corner. The lead, though, lasted fewer than 10 minutes as Portugal equalised in fortuitous fashion, with Robin Hranáč inadvertently putting into his own net after Staněk pushed the ball into his feet.

Silva and Vitinha tested Staněk further, with the Czech shot-stopper keeping both attempts out. However, after Diogo Jota thought he had clinched the three points with a header before it was ruled out for a Ronaldo offside in the build-up, Conceição was instead the hero of the hour, slamming in after Hranáč failed to clear a low cross. The dramatic victory releases the pressure on Portugal, who were deserved winners, while the Czech Republic must now be more expressive offensively against Georgia on Saturday if they want to progress from this group.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

Portugal Czechia