June 18, (THEWILL) – Arda Guler announced his arrival on the biggest stage with a sensational long-range strike to earn Turkey a 3-1 victory over Euro 2024 debutants Georgia in Dortmund.
The 19-year-old Fenerbahce midfielder curled home a stunning effort from outside the box to seal all three points in a pulsating Group F encounter at Signal Iduna Park.
Turkey had taken a first-half lead through Mert Muldur’s outrageous volley into the top corner. However, Georges Mikautadze equalised for Georgia shortly before the break with a cool finish, becoming his country’s first-ever scorer at a major tournament finals.
After a tense second period, Guler’s moment of magic broke the deadlock. Despite Georgia going close through Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, they could not find a second equaliser. Substitute Kerem Akturkoglu raced clear to make it 3-1 in the dying seconds.
The result leaves Turkey top of Group F with Portugal and the Czech Republic, the other teams in the group, meeting later on Tuesday, with kickoff at 8pm local time. Georgia, meanwhile, will aim to bounce back against the Czechs in their next fixture.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
