Cenk Tosun finally ended the tension when he scored in stoppage time to send Turkey into the knockout stage of the European Championship with a 2-1 win over 10-man Czech Republic on Wednesday (Jun 26). With the Czechs chasing a goal that would have put them through at Turkey’s expense, Tosun, a substitute, eluded two exhausted defenders on the left and fired a fierce shot inside the far post.
Cenk Tosun scored a stoppage-time winner as Turkey beat the Czech Republic in a fiery final group game to secure a last-16 tie against Austria. The Czechs needed to win Wednesday's final group game to avoid being eliminated, and they pushed for victory in the tense closing stages. But they left gaps in defence and former Everton striker Tosun cut inside and drove a shot into the back of the net.
The Czech Republic's hopes of victory were not helped when they had Antonin Barak sent off midway through the first half for a second yellow card after catching Arda Guler with his studs up.
There were a total of 18 cards shown in or after the game, a new record for a European Championship match.
Initially, Turkey struggled to break down their opponents and finished the first half without a shot on target, but their passionate fans were sent wild six minutes after the break when captain Hakan Calhanoglu struck into the bottom corner.
That meant the Czech Republic needed to score twice, and they got back level when West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek volleyed in from six yards.
The game was wide open after that as both sides pushed for victory, and it was Turkey who got it in the 94th minute to confirm their progress. There were chaotic scenes right at the end as both sets of players clashed, resulting in the Czech Republic having another player sent off as Tomas Chory was shown a red card. But the Turkey players were able to celebrate their dramatic win soon after and look forward to the knockout stages.
