The best atmosphere of Euro 2024 so far? (2024)

Euro 2024 has been notable for the quality of atmospheres and the sheer number of fans in attendance at matches across the country. But Turkey vs Georgia took it to a new level.

Most supporters were here cheering on the favourites, who were boosted by the huge number of people of Turkish descent living in Germany. They arrived at the ground several hours in advance, battling horrendous weather conditions (the rain was so heavy before kick-off that it caused an Old Trafford-like waterfall from the roof onto the terraces below) and creating a huge noise inside the stadium.

Georgia had plenty of travelling support, too. It was difficult to estimate what percentage of supporters they had, due to both sets of fans wearing red and white. But, clearly, there were few neutrals in attendance.

There were some ugly scenes around an hour before kick-off, with riot police dispatched to break up scuffles between the two sets of fans in one corner of the stadium. But by and large, this was a proper football occasion: huge numbers of fans, a terrifying noise and, probably not coincidentally, a great game of football.

On the streets around the Signal Iduna Park, they have these little stars commemorating Borussia Dortmund’s 1997 Champions League winners.

Jacob Whitehead, because he is appallingly young, didn’t believe that Paul Lambert ever played for Dortmund, much less won the Champions League with them.

Turkey scored two of the best goals seen yet at Euro 2024 as they beat Georgia in a hugely entertaining match at Borussia Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion.

Mert Muldur’s spectacular volley and Arda Guler’s long-ranger strike helped Turkey overcome a spirited Georgia side playing their first match at a major tournament.

Georgia pushed hard for a late equaliser, only to concede a third goal with the last kick of the game, having thrown all 11 players forward for a corner kick.

Unlike Arda Guler, Kenan Yildiz is still quite new to Turkish fans. Juventus signed the Bavaria-born forward from Bayern Munich in summer 2022 and he has just finished his break-out season in Serie A. Another 19-year-old, Yildiz was hyped to the rafters after he fleetingly took Federico Chiesa’s place in the first team just before Christmas and scored a meandering, Alessandro Del Piero-esque goal against Frosinone.

Juventus renewed his contract until summer 2027 at the beginning of last season, and it’s just as well, because transfer interest in Yildiz is heating up based on the few flickers he has shown of his talent so far.

“Arda Guler has a special talent that can naturally be used closer to goal rather than further away,” Carlo Ancelotti said at the end of last season. The Real Madrid manager may be proved right — but the 19-year-old Turkey midfielder is already pretty spectacular from 30 yards.

Muldur was probably thinking he had scored Turkey’s defining goal of the tournament — the Fenerbahce right-back volleying into the top corner with superb ball-strike technique — to ignite a side who have disappointed at recent tournaments.

But after a second goal was ruled out for offside, and Georgia equalised midway through the first half, the frenetic pace was replaced with a more sedate second 45 minutes: Turkey against the debutants’ five-man block.

The solution to a low block? Go over it, not through it. Guler appears destined to feature at Europe’s top table for the next decade — but he may well never score a better goal than that he produced after 65 minutes, skipping infield before arcing a shot around Giorgi Mamardashvili and into the top corner.

It is worth highlighting that this was the crowning moment of an excellent display, not an outlier. On his substitution after 79 minutes, he received a standing ovation. Guler’s talent has not been a secret, but this was confirmation that he is a player for now, rather than the future.

Arda Guler was the star of the show in Turkey’s impressive win over Germany but the teenager could miss out today, Vincenzo Montella has said.

“Unfortunately, physically, he's not 100% fit,” Montella told a press conference on Friday. “He's not doing so well, so we will decide whether to field him tomorrow, only at the last minute. I hope to have him.”

Rafael Leao was also quizzed about the Turkish fans at Friday’s pre-match press conference but said Portugal were unworried.

“Czech Republic also had a lot of fans and we still managed to turn it around when we were down 1-0,” he said.

“I don't think that's going to be the problem for us tomorrow. We're mentally prepared for that and we're focused because we know it's a decisive game for our qualification to the next phase.”

One of the most notable aspects of Turkey’s victory over Georgia was just how raucous the atmosphere was. Turkey’s fans were loud throughout and celebrated jubilantly at the full-time whistle.

And that wasn’t lost on Portugal manager Roberto Martinez.

“We expect the stadium to be loud,” he said. “In their debut win against Georgia, Turkey had a lot of support in the stands. But they have a very strong inside (central midfield) game and we need to stop that, be compact and frustrate their efforts.

“But we also need to be ourselves, controlling the tempo and giving it width because that is what we do best. Turkey showed they defend but their focus is always to attack. They are aggressive, have character and attitude. There are no secrets.”

Turkey impressed in their opening game against Georgia, winning 3-1. And ​​Kerem Akturkoglu, who scored the third goal in that victory, says his side hope to surpass his nation’s team of 2008, who reached the European Championship semi-finals.

He said: “There are many in this team who experienced the excitement of Euro 2008 in front of the TV as children.

“I came here dreaming of it. We want to surpass the semi-final achievement of Euro 2008 - and why not? As a country, we are hungry for success.”

Roberto Martinez also seemed to suggest he could change things up for Portugal’s second and third games of the group stage.

He added: “This game is crucial for us to progress, to create competitiveness in the dressing room, to grow.

“We'll give everything in the first three games and then analyse our performances.”

Portugal manager Roberto Martinez said at his pre-match press conference ahead of today’s game that his side would be “better prepared” to face Turkey.

Portugal were not at their best against the Czech Republic and needed a desperately late goal from Francisco Conceicao to snatch all three points.

“After the game against Czechia, we're better, we're more prepared. We know that even after going one goal down, we can turn the game around,” Martinez said.

“Now we're playing against Turkey, everyone needs to be ready, whether you're in the starting XI or not.”

Gabor Kiraly is well known to Premier League fans for his customary thick grey tracksuit bottoms. But Kiraly, who was capped 108 times for his country, is notable for another reason: he was the oldest player to appear in a European Championship match at 40 years, 86 days.

That record, however, now belongs to 41-year-old Pepe who played the full 90 minutes against Czech Republic.

He is the most experienced player in a very experienced Portugal squad; they are second only to Croatia in terms of average caps per squad, with 43.5 to Croatia’s 45.

Turkey boss Vincenzo Montella is certainly accustomed to playing in fiery atmospheres, most definitely from his six-month loan at Fulham, part of which under The Athletic’s Lawrie Sanchez. Surely not from his time at Roma, where he scored 102 goals, including four in one match against bitter intra-city rivals Lazio, and helped them lift their most recent Scudetto in 2001 alongside Gabriel Batistuta and Francesco Totti.

Left-footed, gifted, and quick, he is one of just two managers at Euro 2024 who was a striker in his playing days, along with Ukraine’s Serhiy Rebrov. He is nicknamed ‘aeroplanino’ because of his celebration with outstretched arms - could we see that on the touchline in Germany? Sidenote: Montella is one of the five Italian managers at the tournament, comfortably more than any other nation.

There will be two rest days between the end of the group stage and the start of the knockout stage. The Round of 16 begins on Saturday, June 29 with two matches.

Here is a full breakdown of the knockout-stage dates:

• Round of 16: Saturday, June 30 – Tuesday, July 2
• Quarter-finals: Friday, July 5 & Saturday, July 6
• Semi-finals: Tuesday, July 9 & Wednesday, July 10
• Final: Sunday, July 14

The top two teams in each of the six groups qualify automatically for the knockout stage.

Teams finishing first will face one of the group-stage runners up or a third-place team in the last 16. Those finishing second will face one of the group winners or another of the runners up in the last 16.

As there will be six each of group winners and runners up, it leaves four spots to be filled. And those will be taken by four of the six teams that finish third.

Of the six third-place teams, the four with the most points will advance to the last 16. In the event of a tie on points, the following factors will be used to determine which team advances:

1. Goal difference
2. Goals scored
3. Amount of group-stage wins
4. Lower disciplinary points total
5. European Qualifiers overall ranking*

*or if hosts Germany are involved in the comparison, drawing of lots

Turkey and Portugal were the winners from Group F's opening round of fixtures so they are the teams in the box seat to make it into the knockouts.

Defeat for Georgia or Czech Republic in this match would leave staring elimination in the face.

• Manager: Vincenzo Montella
• Captain: Hakan Calhanoglu
• Qualifying record: P8, W5, D2, L1, GF14, GA7
• Euro 2020: Group stage
• Most caps in squad: Hakan Calhanoglu (86)
• Top scorer in squad: Cenk Tosun (20)