Georgia capitalised quickly on an agonisingly tight offside call at Euro 2024 to turn Turkish ecstasy into agony in a pulsating Euro 2024 encounter.
Turkey fans were in particularly good voice from the start of the game in Dortmund, despite the inclement weather, and positively erupted when right-back Mert Muldur sensationally volleyed home from the edge of the box in the 25th minute.
Muldur’s strike is going to take some beating in the running for the Euro 2024 goal of the tournament this summer. Left-back Ferdi Kagioglu played a big part in its creation, getting to the byline and crossing. That was headed away towards Muldur, who reacted brilliantly to smash in a sensational sliced volley into the top corner.
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Kenan Yildiz thought he had doubled the lead moments after the restart, slotting home from close range off a square ball across the face of goal, but VAR chalked it off after the semi-automated offside system showed he was just half a boot away from being in an onside position.
And just five minutes later Georgia scored their first-ever major tournament goal in their first-ever major tournament game as an independent nation.
Giorgi Kochorashvili’s stepover bought him time to play a low ball in for the bafflingly unmarked Georges Mikautadze, whose side-footed finish should squirmed past Mert Gunok in the Turkey goal.
"What a moment for the country of Georgia!" The Euros debutants are level against Turkey!#BBCEuros #Euro2024 #TURGEO pic.twitter.com/qoXMNFzg4ZJune 18, 2024
Georgia have never before qualified for a summer competition since the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, while Turkey are hoping to get past the group stage for the first time since reaching the semi-finals in 2008.
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