MOST casual fans will only tune into the ‘big’ games featuring the traditional power house nations.
But those who took the trouble to stay up for the Turkiye v Georgia game at midnight were treated to a fabulous display of attacking football. It was breathless action from the first whistle to finish as both sides clearly wanted to make a good start to Euro 2024.
For the Turks, it was to bury the painful memories of the last edition where they finished bottom of the group having lost all three games. The Georgians were making their first ever appearance at a major tournament and were keen to stamp their mark.
It was non-stop action with both sides committed to attacking football. It was end-to-end stuff with Turkiye striking first with a sublime finish from Mert Muldur in the 25th minute.
The tens of thousands of Turkish supporters inside the Dortmund arena had barely done celebrating when the ball was again inside the Georgian net, only for VAR to chalk it off for offside.
Momentum then shifted dramatically as Georgia netted an equaliser and then proceeded to put Turkiye under severe pressure.
In second half action, Arda Guler restored Turkiye’s lead before Kerem Akturkoglu added another goal with the last kick of the game.
Both sides gave it their all with missed chances, world-class saves, woodwork rattles and spectacular goals contributing to a highly entertaining spectacle.
Alas, reports of crowd trouble had somewhat marred the occasion but make no mistake, this was the best game of Euro 2024 thus far.
In the other fixture, all eyes were once again on the evergreen Cristiano Ronaldo who captained the Portugal side to three points against the Czech Republic. At 39, CR7 shows no sign of slowing down and why should he when compatriot Pepe is still going strong at 41!
Portugal have been tipped to go all the way to the finals given their outstanding qualifying campaign that saw them score goals for fun.
But it was not straight forward against a determined and highly organised Czech team who pushed their more illustrious opponents all the way.
With the scores locked at 1-1, it needed a stoppage time winner from Fernandes Conceicao to settle matters. So far all the big hitters have recorded wins with their opening fixtures.
There is still a long way to go but signs are that one of the traditional power houses will again lift the trophy on July 14. – June 19, 2024
Upcoming fixtures:
Croatia v Albania – 9pm (19 June)
Germany v Hungary – 12am (20 June)
Scotland v Switzerland – 3am (20 June)
Slovenia v Serbia – 9pm (20 June)
Main pic credit: Reuters
