These European Championships will not quickly forget Merih Demiral. He was the standout player from what was the standout match in a compelling tournament that will enter its concluding phase on Friday, a Euros apparently very ready to crown an outsider as champion.
Demiral will not easily forget his previous experience of this tournament, either. One aspect of the exhilaration he experienced on a raucous, thrilling Tuesday night in Leipzig, when his Turkey eliminated Austria to book their place in Saturday’s quarter-final against the Netherlands, was of vindication.
How he chose then to celebrate will keep him in the headlines until well after the Berlin final.
Three years ago, on the opening night of Euro 2020, Demiral made as bad a start to a major competition as imaginable.
Turkey were playing Italy in the first fixture of the tournament – a showpiece delayed for a year because of the Covid 19 pandemic – and Demiral scored the tournament’s first goal. Unfortunately, it was an own goal. Worse still, the tall central defender was a Juventus player at the time. Cruel taunts deemed him “Italy’s secret weapon”.
Turkey went out of Euro 2020 at the group stage. Italy went on to lift the trophy. Fast forward to the next edition and the Italians are already home, lacklustre almost throughout and knocked out by Switzerland in the last 16. Turkey? They march on.
Drawing on vibrant local support from the extensive Turkish community in Germany, and noisy backing in stadiums, they have framed their progress with a brilliant 3-1 win over Georgia and the accomplished, valiant undoing of Austria to serve notice that, be it the Dutch in Berlin at the weekend, or England or the Swiss in the possible semi-final that would follow, nobody is going to live comfortably with Vincenzo Montella’s Turkey if they are anywhere near their dynamic best.
Against Austria, Demiral put his side 1-0 up in near record time, within a minute of kick-off, attacking a poorly defended inswinging corner from Arda Guler.
Austria, a side of immaculate, systemic fluency until Tuesday, became increasingly nervous faced with the dynamism of Turkey in open play and the effectiveness of the Turks with a dead ball. Demiral’s second goal, a header direct from a Guler corner, would probe at the same frailties as the first.
In between times, and under heightened Austrian pressure during the last half-hour, with rain falling and smoke from fireworks drifting across the stadium, Demiral - who is now a defender for Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal - stood like a giant in his principal role, as centre-back in a Turkey side already diminished, at least on paper, by suspensions.
Hakan Calhanoglu, the influential captain, was serving a one-match ban. No matter: Demiral assumed the leadership role.
Samet Akaydin, the centre-back, was also out for accumulated yellow cards. Demiral, who moved to Al Ahli in Saudi Arabia last summer and had started Euro 2024 among Montella’s substitutes, more than compensated.
He won duel after duel, in muscular combat with the wily, aggressive striker Marko Arnautovic, and in aerial one-to-ones with the giant Michael Gregoritsch, brought on by Austria.
Gregoritsch would score the goal that added suspense to a last 25 minutes in which Austria would be denied bringing the score back to 2-2 and extra-time by a stunning reaction save from Turkey goalkeeper Mert Gunok. The game of the tournament had the save of the tournament, too.
But it also has a lingering controversy, which Uefa, the Euro 2024 organisers, are investigating. It surrounds Demiral’s celebration to the crowd, arms raised and both hands formed into what is known as the “wolf salute”, a gesture associated with far-right movements in Turkey and in large parts of Europe, including Germany.
Demirel, addressing the gesture, explained to reporters “it is about my Turkish identity”. He had seen supporters making the “salute” and responded, he added. “I simply wanted to show how happy and proud I am. We are all Turks, I am very proud to be Turkish and that’s what the gesture means.”
Uefa can impose sanctions, including suspension, for what they deem “inappropriate behaviour”. On Wednesday, Germany’s Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser called on the governing body to take action.
“Symbols of Turkish right-wing extremists have no place in our stadiums,” said Faeser.
Some Turkish fans are also under scrutiny for the gesture, and for the plastic cups thrown on to the Leipzig pitch – supporters of several teams at the Euros are under a similar warning – but there is an on-field momentum that emboldens Montella as he leads his squad to Berlin.
There, in the city with the highest number of people of Turkish heritage anywhere outside Turkey itself, they anticipate huge support in the Olympic Stadium.
Montella praised what he described as “Turkish heart” after the Leipzig triumph. “It’s what I love about this country,” added the Italian coach. “The team have showed their soul.”
Less than six months earlier, his Turkey had lost 6-1 to Austria in a friendly designed to help prepare for the Euros. Demiral was dropped by Montella after that game. On Tuesday night, he gave a statement response to that setback.
