Türkiye's Run to the Euro 2024 Quarter-finals

A Quarter-Final, Sixteen Years On

Do you remember the last time Turkey reached the quarter-finals of a European Championship? Germany, 2008. Fatih Terim's side lost to the hosts, 2-3.

Then a generation waited. Eliminated in 2012. Group stage in 2016. Group stage again in 2020. Turkey advancing deep in a European Championship had become a forgotten thing.

2024 changed all of that. Vincenzo Montella was called in. A new generation was there. And the quarter-final came.

The Group Stage: A Hard Start, Then Control

Turkey's group was clearly mid-table on paper. Georgia was making its new European Championship breakthrough, Portugal carried Cristiano Ronaldo among the last of a golden generation's favourites, and Czech Republic was its usual, disciplined opponent.

In the opener against Georgia: 3-1. Mert Müldür, Arda Güler and Kerem Aktürkoğlu scored what are still considered the top three moments of Turkey's Euro 2024 goal sequence. That match provided the tournament's essential momentum.

Then Portugal, 0-3. Going scoreless against a European Championship host-favourite was an alarm for Turkey. But the Turkish defence, particularly Merih Demiral and Samet Akaydın, was criticised and honoured in equal measure.

Third match, Czech Republic: 2-1. Cengiz Ünder's 51st-minute move, finished by Kerem Aktürkoğlu, was the through-ticket to the round of sixteen.

Round of 16: Austria 2-1

The second round in Leipzig was Merih Demiral's match from the very first minute, though not in the way anyone expected. In the first minute, Demiral went up alone from a corner and put Turkey ahead.

In the second half, minute 76, Demiral struck again, his second of the evening. 2-1 was the final, and it was the second fastest double in Euro history. Turkey were in the quarter-finals, where the Netherlands awaited.

So a defender scored twice in a Euro last-sixteen match and sent his team into a historic round. Defenders don't usually score two goals in a single knockout game, Demiral did something out of the ordinary that night.

Post-match, Demiral's celebration gesture angered UEFA. A two-match ban followed. Demiral would miss the Netherlands match.

Quarter-Final: Netherlands 1-2

6 July, evening, Olympic Stadium Berlin. In the 35th minute, Samet Akaydın's header put Turkey 1-0 up.

For a moment, the dream appeared to have arrived. A Turkish goal at the Berlin Olympic stadium...

The Netherlands equalised in the 53rd minute through Stefan de Vrij. In the 76th minute, Mert Müldür's unfortunate own goal made it 1-2 at the final whistle.

So Turkey's Euro 2024 journey ended on a single bad goal. Mert Müldür was forgiven for that night, but that goal has not been forgotten for a minute in Turkish football.

According to Goalence's strict on-pitch data, Kaan Ayhan posted a 48.1% winning-minute rate across Turkey's Euro 2024 appearances, the most consistent player in the Turkish midfield and defensive core throughout the tournament. Ferdi Kadıoğlu and Barış Alper Yılmaz both followed at 41.1%.

A Generation Coming of Age

Reaching the quarter-final is the biggest achievement in 16 years. Since Fatih Terim's side lost to Germany 2-3 in the 2008 semi-final, no Turkish national team had come this far.

And yet. Euro 2024 was more than a tournament. It was a reminder: Turkish football can still travel somewhere in Europe.

Today, Vincenzo Montella is building toward the 2026 World Cup on the same core. Çalhanoğlu, Kadıoğlu, Demiral, Akaydın, Yıldız, Güler, the large majority still under 25. Euro 2024 was not an ending. It was the beginning of a generation's maturity.

A stand's 24-year wait doesn't end in a single night. But one Berlin night brings it closer.