Turkey is not a traditional international soccer power. Far from it. But after overcoming Austria in Euro 2024’s Round of 16 on Tuesday, it’s becoming apparent that this dark horse feels right at home in the tournament.
And that never happens without some all-time heroics on the part of goalkeeper Mert Günok.
With Austria relentlessly pressing for a tying goal in stoppage time, midfielder Christoph Baumgartner found himself wide open in front of the net for a perfect header. He would’ve scored under almost any other circumstance, and this matchup would have seen extra time.
Instead, Günok’s lightning-quick reflexes let him get his fingertips on the ball to just barely make one of the greatest soccer saves we’ve ever seen:
WHAT A SAVE!!!!!!!!!
Mert Günok comes up HUGE!!!!! pic.twitter.com/zNxmhZzNBn
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 2, 2024
Here’s another close-up angle of Günok’s clutch save:
This 95th minute save by Mert Günok was UNREAL
Türkiye fans won't forget this one pic.twitter.com/nLzM5Pa8Yy
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 2, 2024
HOW on Earth did he do that? I’m inclined to believe it’s partly luck, but it takes a tremendous amount of skill to guess right and deny someone right at the doorstep off a perfect pass.
Kudos to Günok. He probably just singlehandedly kept Turkey’s Cinderella run at Euro 2024 alive.
Featured image courtesy of Fox Sports
