And breathe. Turkey’s frenzied assault on the senses against Georgia is over, capped by a rare moment of clarity and sublime precision from Real Madrid teenager Arda Guler.
One touch on this thigh to accept the ball and turn in from the right, another touch to move into space and assess his options and a third to shape his shot with his left foot into the top corner.
It was a goal fit to win any match and will serve to introduce the 19-year-old Turk to a wider audience. He is the first teenager to score at this tournament and the first since Cristiano Ronaldo to score on his European Championship debut.
In Turkey, they have called on boss Vincenzo Montella to bring him into the team after an injury-hit first season in the Spanish capital.
Montella answered the call and could not have hoped for a better result on a day that started with a heavy rain shower before the match and scuffles in the stands between damp fans from rival camps and refused to breathe until the seventh minute of stoppage time when Kerem Akturkoglu broke clear to score Turkey’s third in an unguarded goal as Georgian goalkeeper Girogi Mamardashvili had gone for a corner.
Arda Guler (left) provided a magical moment to help Turkey to a 3-1 victory against Georgia
The Real Madrid teenager produced a stunning goal to help his side take a 2-1 lead after 65 minutes
The win means Turkey tops Group F, while the Czech Republic and Portugal will play later on Tuesday evening
Once again the place erupted.
Turkey fans transformed Dortmund’s famous Yellow Wall into a Red Wall for a day and their players set off at great pace, fully charged and committed to attacking with 19-year-old starlets on either flank.
On the right was Guler wide, all mischievous feints and disguised passes, and on the left there was Juventus’ Kenan Yildiz, tall, strong and elegant, with off-kilter pace and a penchant for darting in to threaten the goal.
With Hakan Calhanoglu driving play from deep and Orkun Kokcu buzzing around, they took control, went close from a couple of corners, and Kaan Ayhan hit the inside of a post with a thrilling drive from 25 yards.
Georgia were stuck in their half for twenty minutes, but when they did they caused the Turkish problems.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia helped the fans with a nutmeg trick and Anzor Mekvabishvili forced a save, but they fell behind midway through the first half and their score matched Guler’s.
Ferdi Kadioglu’s cross from the left was only partially cleared and as it fell from the air, Fenerbahce full-back Mert Muldur set himself up and unleashed a ferocious volley, which flew into the top corner and disappeared.
Two minutes later they thought it was just the two of them and the stadium was shaking. Guler’s low cross was tapped in by Kokcu, but Yildiz was offside as he hit the ball high into the net at the back post.
Mert Muldur (right) opened the scoring for Turkey with a long-range effort 25 minutes into the match
Georgia found the equalizer shortly afterwards, with Georges Mikautadze (second from left) hitting in from the penalty area
This was Georgia’s first appearance at a senior men’s international tournament and there were scenes of cheering after the goal was scored
Turkey, meanwhile, failed to progress from the groups at Euro 2016 and Euro 2020 and will look to reverse that poor record this summer.
Muhammed Kerem Akturkoglu (center) would close the match with Turkey’s third goal, breaking away from the Georgian defense before passing the ball into an open net
Guler (front) led the celebrations after becoming the youngest player to score on their European Championship debut since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2004
There was no flag and the celebration was wild, but the goal was ruled out when the artificial intelligence had done its thing.
As the noise subsided, Georgia leveled. Yildiz, back in his own penalty area to defend, could not stop Giorgi Kochorashvili and his low cross was converted at the near post by Georges Mikautadze.
In short, the inexperienced team came out on top in their first major tournament. Mikautadze hit a glorious chance wide.
Turkey dominated the second half until Güler’s showstopper, but Georgia pulled off a late attack.
Kvaratshkelia shot wide of the target and Mikautadze missed the target when he should have scored and they were still in the hunt for an equalizer when Akturkoglu raced away.
