LEIPZIG, Germany: Merih Demiral was Turkiye’s unlikely hero with both goals in a 2-1 win over Austria on Tuesday that booked their place in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.
The Al-Ahli center-back smashed home after just 58 seconds and produced a towering header on the hour mark to double Turkiye’s lead.
Michael Gregoritsch quickly pulled a goal back for Austria and only a stunning save from Mert Gunok denied Christoph Baumgartner a dramatic equalizer deep into stoppage-time.
Turkiye advance to face the Netherlands in the last eight in Berlin on Saturday.
Austria had emerged as dark horses to go far on the perceived weaker side of the draw after topping a group including France and the Netherlands.
Ralf Rangnick’s side had also thrashed Turkiye 6-1 in a friendly in March, but this time they failed to recover from a nightmare start.
Real Madrid’s Arda Guler was a constant threat to the Austrian defense and his teasing delivery from a corner caused chaos inside the first minute.
Baumgartner’s clearance off the line hit team-mate Stefan Posch, goalkeeper Patrick Pentz clawing it out to Demiral, who lashed into the roof of the net for the second fastest goal ever at a European Championship.
Turkiye’s raucous fans exploded in a deafening celebration, but they were nearly brought back down to earth straight away.
Baumgartner fired inches wide form the edge of the box before Demiral somehow prevented the RB Leipzig midfielder from scoring at his home ground as a dangerous Austrian corner flashed across goal.
Turkiye coach Vincenzo Montella said that absent captain Hakan Calhanoglu, who was missing due to suspension, was “irreplaceable.”
However, Guler assumed responsibility in the playmaking role and nearly produced a stunning second for his side with an audacious attempt from the halfway line that drifted wide.
Only Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands have had a higher winning percentage in European football since Rangnick took charge of Austria two years ago.
The former Manchester United boss made two changes at half-time, including the introduction of Gregoritsch, who scored a hat-trick when the sides met three months ago.
Rangnick got the reaction he desired as Austria began cutting through the Turkish defense.
Gunok spread himself brilliantly to deny Marko Arnautovic when one-on-one before Bayern Munich’s Konrad Laimer lacked the finish to a fine run through the middle.
However, they failed to learn their lesson from Guler corners as another inviting delivery was powered home by Demiral.
In doing so the 26-year-old became the first European defender to score twice in the knockout stages of a major tournament since Lillian Thuram for France at the 1998 World Cup.
It was also a set-piece at the other end that got Austria back in the game seven minutes later.
Posch flicked on Marcel Sabitzer’s corner for Gregoritsch to sweep high into the net.
A torrential downpour could not drown out a sensational atmosphere in Leipzig, with Turkiye’s huge expat population in Germany again making it like a home game for Montella’s men.
The fervent atmosphere turned sour as Sabitzer was struck by an object thrown from the crowd as he prepared to take a corner.
Baris Alper Yilmaz was denied a third for Turkiye by a fine save from Pentz in stoppage-time.
That nearly proved crucial as Gunok then had to produce a remarkable stop to prevent Baumgartner’s downward header finding the far corner.
It was an incredible save reminiscent of England keeper Gordon Banks’ iconic stop from Pele in the 1970 World Cup.
But Turkiye stood firm amid an aerial bombardment from Austria to reach the quarter-finals of a major tournament for the first time since Euro 2008.
Demiral double sends Turkiye into Euro 2024 quarters at Austria’s expense
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Demiral double sends Turkiye into Euro 2024 quarters at Austria’s expense
- Turkiye advance to face the Netherlands in the last eight in Berlin on Saturday
Fenerbahce’s Mourinho banned for three games after nose grab incident in Istanbul derby
- The incident occurred at the end of the Turkish Cup quarter-finals
- A mass scuffle had broken out between both sets of players
ISTANBUL: Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho has been banned for three matches and handed a fine of around 6,000 pounds ($7,734.00) after grabbing the nose of Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk in the Istanbul derby, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) said on Saturday.
The incident occurred at the end of the Turkish Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday, which Mourinho’s side lost 2-1 at home.
A mass scuffle had broken out between both sets of players, with the referee sending three players off, two from Galatasaray, and after the final whistle the 62-year-old Portuguese appeared to pinch Buruk’s nose who then fell dramatically to the ground.
“Mourinho shall be banned from entering the dressing room and the bench for three official matches,” TFF said in a statement.
Mourinho will miss the games against Trabzonspor, Sivasspor and Kayserispor.
Fenerbahce are second in the Super Lig, trailing leaders Galatasaray by six points with a game in hand.
PSG win 13th French title ahead of Aston Villa Champions League clash
- PSG needed just a draw in front of their own fans to be confirmed as champions again
- Desire Doue’s strike early in the second half decided the game in PSG’s favor, allowing Luis Enrique’s team to take the title with six matches still to play
PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain clinched the Ligue 1 title on Saturday with a 1-0 win at home against Angers as they prepare for a Champions League quarter-final showdown with Aston Villa.
PSG needed just a draw in front of their own fans to be confirmed as champions again, having started the day a huge 21 points clear of nearest challengers Monaco with seven matches left.
Desire Doue’s strike early in the second half decided the game in PSG’s favor, allowing Luis Enrique’s team to take the title with six matches still to play.
It is a fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title for the club from the French capital and their 11th in the last 13 seasons, highlighting the extent to which they have dominated domestically since being taken over by Qatar Sports Investments in 2011.
“Our ambition is to win everything,” said captain Marquinhos, who has now won 10 titles since joining the club in 2013, to broadcaster beIN Sports.
“It is a nice feeling. It is the reward for the work we have put in throughout the season, for our consistency, and the team deserves it,” added the Brazilian center-back, who will be suspended for the first leg against Villa.
PSG’s overall tally of 13 French league titles is three more than Saint-Etienne, who are the next most successful club with 10 but have not been champions since 1981.
Marseille have won nine titles, while Nantes and Monaco have each been champions on eight occasions.
The extent to which winning the French league has become a routine exercise for the Parisian outfit helps explain why celebrations were far from excessive on a beautiful spring day in the city.
However, Luis Enrique was raised aloft by members of his coaching staff while the PSG players undertook a lap of honor of the Parc des Princes pitch.
The trophy ceremony will take place at a later date, with PSG maintaining their focus on the European clash with Villa, who visit the Parc des Princes for the first leg of their quarter-final on Wednesday, before the return in England on April 15.
However, PSG have another objective in their sights in the league, one which would make this title triumph stand out above all others.
They remain undefeated after 28 matches, with 23 wins and just five draws, and are on course to become the first team to complete a Ligue 1 campaign without losing a game.
The closest any French side has come to an unbeaten season remains Nantes, who went undefeated through their first 32 matches before losing their only game on the way to winning the title in 1994/95.
That was a 38-game season, while PSG will only play 34 matches in this campaign, with the league having recently been reduced from 20 clubs to 18.
They will not play again in Ligue 1 until a home meeting with Le Havre on April 19, with next week’s trip to Nantes postponed to April 22 in order to allow PSG to recover in between the two legs of their tie against Villa.
Ousmane Dembele, PSG’s top scorer with 32 goals in all competitions this season, was rested at kick-off against Angers, having netted twice in the 4-2 midweek win over second-tier Dunkerque in the semifinals of the French Cup.
Bradley Barcola, the team’s second-top marksman on 18 goals, was also left out of the starting line-up and it was far from a vintage performance by the home side.
They were perhaps fortunate early on when Angers forward Esteban Lepaul ran through on goal before being outmuscled by Willian Pacho, the challenge a fair one in the eyes of the referee.
Doue was on hand to convert from a Khvicha Kvaratskhelia cross 10 minutes into the second half as he scored his 11th goal in all competitions since signing from Rennes at the start of the season.
That proved enough for PSG to win the game and take the title, maintaining Luis Enrique’s record of having won every domestic trophy since he took over prior to last season.
Monaco are in action later away to Brest, while Lyon host Lille in Saturday’s other Ligue 1 game, a key encounter in the fight for Champions League qualification.
Arsenal held by Everton, Wolves push Ipswich closer to relegation
- Leandro Trossard’s opener for the Gunners was canceled out by Iliman Ndiaye’s penalty to leave Arsenal trailing 11 points behind Liverpool
- Liverpool now need just 11 points from their remaining eight games
LONDON: Arsenal’s faint hopes of catching Premier League leaders Liverpool are almost over after their 1-1 draw at Everton, while Wolves pushed Ipswich closer to relegation with a 2-1 win on Saturday.
Leandro Trossard’s opener for the Gunners was canceled out by Iliman Ndiaye’s penalty to leave Arsenal trailing 11 points behind Liverpool, who travel to Fulham on Sunday.
Liverpool now need just 11 points from their remaining eight games to secure a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title and first since 2020.
With just two wins in their last six league matches, Arsenal have tamely surrendered in the title race and are destined to go another year without their first English crown since 2004.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta had said the best preparation for his side’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid would be to win at Goodison Park.
But the Spaniard showed he had one eye on the visit of the European champions with his team selection.
Bukayo Saka was forced to wait for his first start since December as the England international was left on the bench alongside Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Jurrien Timber and Thomas Partey.
“This is a very tough place to come, a team who is very physical and direct. If you don’t deal with it, it’s hard to get momentum. The start of the second half was very poor,” Arteta said.
Arsenal’s weakened line-up struck first in the 34th minute when Raheem Sterling picked out Trossard and his low shot took Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford by surprise as it squirmed into the net.
Everton were unable to stop Liverpool’s march to the title in midweek when they lost 1-0 in the Merseyside derby at Anfield.
And David Moyes’ men did their arch rivals another favor as they drew level in the 49th minute.
Myles Lewis-Skelly fouled Jack Harrison and Ndiaye stroked home from the penalty spot four minutes into the second period to put Liverpool within touching distance of the title.
Wolves effectively sealed their survival and left Ipswich on the brink of relegation with a 2-1 win at Portman Road.
Vitor Pereira’s side trailed to Liam Delap’s 16th-minute goal as the striker swept in Dara O’Shea’s knockdown.
But Pablo Sarabia drilled into the bottom corner to haul Wolves level in the 72nd minute, before Jorgen Strand Larsen prodded home on 84 minutes for his fourth goal in his last three games.
Fourth-bottom Wolves are now 12 points clear of third-bottom Ipswich with just seven games left, leaving Kieran McKenna’s side almost certain to return to the Championship after just one season.
Wolves’ victory also means bottom of the table Southampton will be relegated if they lose at Tottenham on Sunday.
Crystal Palace beat Brighton 2-1 despite finishing with nine men in a bruising battle featuring three red cards at Selhurst Park.
FA Cup semifinalists Palace went ahead thanks to Jean-Philippe Mateta’s third minute curler, before Danny Welbeck’s close-range effort in the 31st minute dragged Brighton level.
Daniel Munoz blasted Palace’s winner in the 55th minute, but the Eagles had to dig deep for the win.
Palace striker Eddie Nketiah was sent off for two bookings in the space of nine minutes, then team-mate Marc Guehi was dismissed for picking up a second yellow card in the 90th minute.
In a frantic finale, Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke was shown a red card for his foul on Daichi Kamada.
Evanilson scored twice as Bournemouth drew 2-2 with West Ham at the London Stadium.
The Brazilian opened the scoring in the 38th minute and bagged Bournemouth’s equalizer with 11 minutes left after Niclas Fullkrug and Jarrod Bowen had put West Ham ahead.
Aston Villa host third-placed Nottingham Forest in Saturday’s late game, with both teams pushing to secure qualification for next season’s Champions League.
Vinícius misses penalty as Real Madrid lose at home to Valencia
- Hugo Duro came off Valencia’s bench and headed home the winner
- Vinícius scored from close range to equalize in the 50th, but Mamardashvili
MADRID: Vinícius Júnior missed a penalty and Real Madrid conceded an injury-time goal in a stunning 2-1 home loss to Valencia on Saturday as the defending champion stumbled in the La Liga title race.
Hugo Duro came off Valencia’s bench and headed home the winner that silenced Santiago Bernabeu Stadium deep in stoppage time.
Goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili saved Vinícius’ early penalty and moments later Mouctar Diakhaby headed the visitors in front in the 17th minute.
Vinícius scored from close range to equalize in the 50th, but Mamardashvili and the defense held on until Duro struck and gave Valencia their first away win of the season.
Barcelona, leading Madrid by three points, could capitalize on their closest rival’s stumble when they host Real Betis later Saturday.
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti had to play third-string goalkeeper Fran González, who made his first-team debut for Madrid at age 19, because Thibaut Courtois and Andriy Lunin were injured.
Last-gasp Buendia goal keeps Leverkusen’s Bundesliga title hopes alive
- Leverkusen needed a win to stay six points behind league leaders Bayern Munich, who won 3-1 at Augsburg on Friday
- Xabi Alonso’s side looked out of ideas in attack against the relegation candidates, missing the creative spark of injured playmaker Florian Wirtz
HEIDENHEIM, Germany: Emiliano Buendia snatched a stoppage-time winner to take Bayer Leverkusen to a 1-0 win at Heidenheim on Saturday, keeping their slim hopes of defending their league title alive.
Eliminated from the German Cup by third-division Arminia Bielefeld on Tuesday, Leverkusen needed a win to stay six points behind league leaders Bayern Munich, who won 3-1 at Augsburg on Friday.
Xabi Alonso’s side looked out of ideas in attack against the relegation candidates, missing the creative spark of injured playmaker Florian Wirtz.
However, as they have done so often under the Spaniard, Leverkusen scored in injury time to grab all three points, Buendia curling home from outside the box on 91 minutes.
Leverkusen’s Jonathan Tah said: “We didn’t play a good game at all... It was difficult today — at the end we needed a bit of luck.”
“We needed to win today, we did it, job done — and now we’re still in with a shot,” Leverkusen’s Granit Xhaka told Sky Germany.
The goal was Buendia’s first since arriving on loan from Aston Villa and may prove crucial to Leverkusen’s hopes of catching up with an injury-ravaged Bayern side, with six games in the season remaining.
Elsewhere, goals from Karim Adeyemi, Carney Chukwuemeka, Serhou Guirassy and Jamie Gittens took Borussia Dortmund to a dominant 4-1 win at Freiburg, days out from their Champions League trip to Barcelona.
“It’ll be a difficult week, but every game is winnable,” Dortmund’s Pascal Gross said of the Barcelona challenge.
Adeyemi unleashed an unstoppable drive to put Dortmund in front from an acute angle with 34 minutes gone.
Six minutes into the second half, Adeyemi found Chukwuemeka on the break in acres of space.
The England under-21 international’s shot was deflected into the goal by the Freiburg defense for Chukwuemeka’s first goal since joining Dortmund from Chelsea on loan in winter.
Guirassy came off the bench and sealed the result with a 68th-minute tap-in, his 25th goal for Dortmund in all competitions this season.
Substitute Gittens put the icing on the cake with a pinpoint header with 78 minutes gone, before Maximilian Eggestein grabbed a late consolation for the hosts.
The win moved Dortmund to eighth, one spot behind Freiburg and five points behind fourth-placed Mainz, who drew 1-1 at home with lowly Holstein Kiel.
Kiel, promoted to the top division for the first time this season, took the lead thanks to a fine first-half strike from Alexander Bernhardsson, but Nelson Weiper drew Mainz level with 15 minutes remaining.
RB Leipzig won their first match since dismissing coach Marco Rose, coming from behind to beat a 10-man Hoffenheim at home 3-1 thanks to goals from Benjamin Sesko, Ridle Baku and Yussuf Poulsen.
Hoffenheim took the lead thanks to a swerving strike from the Bayern-bound Tom Bischof 11 minutes in, but lost Leo Ostigard to a last-man foul with 28 minutes played.
Leipzig jumped up to fifth with the win, a point behind fourth, while Hoffenheim are five points clear of Heidenheim in the relegation playoff spot.
Stuttgart kept within sight of the European placings with a dominant 4-0 win at Bochum.
Days after booking a spot in the German Cup final with a win over RB Leipzig, Stuttgart’s victory was their first in the league since early February, after a six-game winless run.
An Ermedin Demirovic hat-trick and a goal from defender Jeff Chabot took Stuttgart to ninth, six points behind the Champions League spots.
Later on Saturday, Werder Bremen host Eintracht Frankfurt.
