Arda Guler brings the thunder as Turkey survive storm to beat Georgia

Oh, what fun we had. What noise there was, what emotion, what an occasion. Played in a fittingly epic biblical storm, water cascading off the Westfalenstadion roof, Euro 2024’s best night was a wild, wonderful open match that had 103 attacks, 36 shots, three strikes that hit the woodwork, and four goals.

One of those goals was ­historic, Georges Mikautadze scoring ­Georgia’s first at a tournament; two were ridiculous, comic‑book ­belters from Arda Guler and Mert Muldur; and the other was the very last touch of an extraordinary evening, just as everything and everyone was on edge, Kerem Akturkoglu released, running 80 yards to roll the ball into an empty net. From the equaliser at one end to “game over” at the other in seconds.

Right there, with the bench ­emptying, everyone heading after Akturkoglu and this place ­erupting once more, Turkey had the victory and this game had the ending it deserved. Or one of them, anyway.

Seconds before, Georgia had a 96th-minute opportunity to ­equalise – their third in added time – which would have been just as dramatic and just as deserved. Now the goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili went up for a corner, a final chance to be an unexpected hero. Instead, the ball was cleared and Akturkoglu took that role.

Him and everyone else. How do you choose a single player? This was brilliant; they were brilliant, all of them. You ended it exhausted just watching, wishing you could gather the protagonists – players and fans – and say thanks. They played for pride and for the points Turkey eventually took, sure, but also the joy of it, enthusiasm overflowing.

“Turkey played a fantastic match, Georgia also played a fantastic match,” the defeated coach, Willy Sagnol, said.

“That match and the atmosphere fit. I don’t know if the atmosphere made the match or the match made the atmosphere but it was a great moment.”

His opposite number, Vincenzo Montella, was celebrating his 50th birthday. “They have given me a beautiful gift,” he said.

For 96 minutes, they went at it. The final touch delivered the final goal; the first could have come after only nine minutes when Kaan Ayhan’s shot smashed against the post at 122kmh, spinning along the line and out for a goal‑kick, and even that early it had been coming. Ayhan had already headed over and Abdulkerim Bardakci had nodded wide.

There was an early dynamism about Turkey, who were roared on by huge support. About the game itself, in fact, which kept gathering pace all the way to the end, ­bringing goals with it.

The first was ­outrageous, a neat exchange involving Kenan Yildiz, Orkun Kokcu and Ferdi ­Kadioglu eventually seeing the ball loop to Muldur who struck a volley with the outside of his foot that faded away from Mamardashvili’s hand and into the top corner.

The yellow wall, red for the day, erupted. There was smoke in the air then and again two minutes later when Turkey thought they had the second through Yildiz. On the screen, though, a message appeared, which was helpful if not welcome: “Turkey player No 19 was in an offside position when scoring.”

Liberated, Georgia grasped their moment to make history. Giorgi Kochorashvili started it and ­Mikautadze completed it. In the stands there were tears, in the press area too. Georgia were flying now and nearly scored again immediately, Otar Kakabadze with the headed layoff from which Mikautadze turned wide.

Thankfully, the half-time break broke nothing. This game had an irresistible momentum of its own, driven by everything, everyone, around it. There was a chance for Yildiz at one end and Giorgi Tsitaishvili at the other. Another dropped for Mikautadze, Turkish bodies thrown before him. Hakan Calhanoglu’s free-kick was pushed away by Mamardashvili. ­Khvicha Kvaratskhelia poked wide.

And then came the kid. What was most startling about Guler’s extraordinary shot, curled left‑footed into the far corner from 25 yards on the hour, was that there never seemed any doubt it would end up exactly where it did. At 19, he had become the European Championship’s youngest debutant scorer, another piece of history. He stood with a hand to his ear. Just listen to that.

If that was a hell of a goal, the potential equaliser that almost followed could have been as good, Kochorashvili lifting over a Turkish foot with a soft touch and hitting the bar.

Georgia had waited 30 years for this and kept coming, to the end. They so nearly did it too, deep into injury time, every shot a scream. A combination of Mekvabishvili and Kochorashvili somehow missed from four yards. Kvaratskhelia hit a post. And Zuriko Davitashvili was denied on the line. That just left a ­corner, a keeper going up, a historic ­equaliser in ­waiting. An empty pitch too, Akturkoglu ­escaping to end an astonishing night with one last explosion of joy.