Czech Republic v Turkey: Euro 2024 – live | Euro 2024

53 min: Adding injury to insult, Staněk has hurt himself making that original point-blank save. It doesn’t look as though he’s going to be able to continue.

GOAL! Czech Republic 0-1 Turkey (Çalhanoğlu 51)

50 min: Yüksek is booked for a professional-style block on an in-flight Provod. From the resulting free kick, Hložek pings a snapshot from the right-hand corner of the D that takes a deflection but doesn’t fox Günok.

49 min: If both Group F games finish as they are, Turkey will play Austria in the Round of 16. Portugal will take on Slovenia and Georgia will face Spain. The Czechs will go home.

47 min: Çalhanoğlu sends a corner in from the right. It drops to Yıldız, who creams a half-volley over the bar from the edge of the box. A fast start to the half by Turkey.

46 min: A long left-to-right diagonal into the Czech box. Yılmaz heads across the face of goal but there’s nobody in white to tap home.

Turkey get the second half underway. They’ve replaced Salih Özcan with Kaan Ayhan.

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HALF TIME: Czech Republic 0-0 Turkey

45 min +2: That was a huge chance for Jurásek, who from the left-hand corner of the six-yard box shot softly into Günok’s chest.

45 min +1: The first of three additional first-half minutes features a Czech corner and a game of head tennis in the Turkey box. Turkey eventually clear their lines.

45 min: Guler ships possession in midfield and, with most of his team-mates committed to attack, Czechia counter dangerously. Provod bursts down the middle and sends Jurásek into the box on the overlap. Jurásek shoots from a tight angle but Günok saves well. A huge chance for the ten men to take a shock lead.

43 min: Çalhanoğlu again down the inside right. This time he takes a whack from 25 yards, looking to ram a diagonal riser into the top-left corner. It’s always heading over the bar.

42 min: Çalhanoğlu bustles hard down the inside-right channel and into the Czech box, but Soucek stands firm to ensure he can’t get a shot away.

40 min: You can bet your last pfennig that the Czech Republic will try everything to manufacture a Turkish sending-off. They’re fuelled by a sense of injustice over Barák’s dismissal, and this referee’s patience is on a hair-trigger.

38 min: Coufal goes down again in the environs of Yıldız, this time having taken an elbow in the ear. That looked accidental, as did the earlier challenge on Hranáč in fact, but the Czechs are demanding the youngster is shown another yellow. However the referee doesn’t even award a foul.

36 min: Yıldız dribbles elegantly down the left, chopping his way past Coufal twice, then jinking along the byline. He catches Hranáč on the ankle and goes into the book.

35 min: Yüksek crunches into Provod, a clean tackle in the old-school style. Provod stays down, though, and eventually play is stopped. The Czechs are livid, to the point that Patrik Schick’s complaints from the bench earn him a booking … and a suspension. If the Czechs get through to the last 16, Schick won’t be playing, fit or not.

33 min: Yilmaz wins a corner on the right. Guler swings it in. It’s half cleared, and Guler probes down the right. He feeds Çalhanoğlu on the overlap, and it’ll be another corner. This second one’s properly cleared.

31 min: Özcan is booked for hauling Chytil back by the waist, as the Czech striker attempts to break forward from a low block. A fair chance this won’t end with 21 men.

29 min: Yılmaz whips in from the right. The ball nearly sneaks in at the near post, and Staněk does extremely well to claim cleanly.

28 min: Yıldız sends Coufal off to the shops down the left. He checks back and feeds Yılmaz, who curls towards Guler, six yards out in the middle. Hranáč deflectes the ball out for a corner, just in time. Nothing comes of the set piece.

26 min: Turkey stroke it around patiently, letting the game settle back down.

24 min: Soucek makes a nuisance of himself in the Turkish box upon the delivery of a long free kick. He can’t get a header on target, but there’s an early sign that the ten men are going to go down fighting.

23 min: That’s some contribution from Barák. Two yellows in nine minutes. A pointless shirt-tug in midfield, and a clumsy studding of someone’s foot. He’s only the second player to be sent off in this tournament so far, after Scotland’s Ryan Porteous.

RED CARD: Antonín Barák (Czech Republic)

19 min: Both teams take turns to play a little keep-ball. The “home” crowd whistle long and hard when the Czechs have it. Turkey press high but to no effect.

17 min: Coufal throws long from the right. Souček eyebrows on. Hranáč heads harmlessly over from eight yards. A big chance wasted. These throws are causing Turkey problems. Coufal won’t stop flinging them in, you can be sure of that.

15 min: Down the other end, it’s Jurásek’s turn to attempt a long-distance stunner. Straight at the keeper. Czechia come again, though, Souček crossing low from the right. Hložek gets in front of his marker but, six yards out, inexplicably makes no connection. An entertaining opening to this match.

13 min: The first sighting this evening of Güler, who glides into space down the middle before attempting the spectacular from 30 yards. Deep into the stand it goes, but after that goal against Georgia, he’s still got plenty of credit in the bank.

11 min: Turkey have taken a semblance of control. They’re seeing more of the ball, putting together all the passing sequences. Barák, frustrated, grabs a handful of Kadıoğlu’s shirt, and into the book he goes. He flings the ball to the floor in irritation, having thought he’d got away with just a lecture, and is fortunate the referee didn’t see the petulant action, or he may well have been off.

9 min: Yılmaz barrels down the right this time, chasing after a wedged pass, but can’t get past Jurásek, who sticks to him like glue before eventually dispossessing him.

8 min: Soucek makes sure no Turkish player meets the corner, and Staněk claims.

7 min: Jurásek makes good down the left touchline and crosses low, but can’t find Chytil in the middle. Turkey counter, Yılmaz winning their first corner of the game down the left. Çalhanoğlu to take.

5 min: The Czechs will be happy with their aggressive start. Turkey haven’t really got going yet, Güler probing a little down the left flank to no effect.

3 min: Nothing comes of the resulting corner. Meanwhile in the other match, Georgia have taken a shock early lead! Bob has your back.

2 min: Provod powers his way down the inside-left channel and has a dig from the edge of the box. Günok’s parry isn’t particularly authoritative, and squirms around the post for a corner.

1 min: Coufal flings a long, long throw into the Turkey box from the right. A bit of a panic in the Turkey defence as the bouncing ball evades everyone and sails just wide left of goal. Turns out there was a bit too much pushing and the whistle goes, but still, for a brief moment, Turkish hearts were in mouths.

The Czech Republic get the ball rolling. It’s practically a home game for Turkey, whose fans are giving it plenty.

The teams are out! Czechia in red with blue trim, Turkey in white with red chest-band. A rare old tumult at the Volksparkstadion, the most glorious racket heard in Hamburg since the Beatles came to town. There are coins to be tossed, fists to be bumped, national anthems to be lustily sung, shining stars of the people, rustling pines and spring blossom, all that. We’ll be off once it’s all done!

Tonight’s games in Group F could have a huge bearing on England’s campaign. Should either or both of the Czechs and Georgia win, the resulting shoogling about of the third-place table would end up with England facing Slovakia on Sunday night. If neither manage it – or if the Czechs win by three or more goals – England will play the Netherlands. There are official Uefa-stamped reasons for all of this, but not any my poor little pea brain can process, so please let’s just take all of this as read and not start pulling at threads.

The Czechs have faced Turkey on 21 previous occasions, first as a constituent part of Czechoslovakia, latterly as the Czech Republic. They’ve got the better record over the long haul, with 12 wins to Turkey’s six. However Turkey have won the last three games between the countries, and beaten them twice at the finals, winning 2-0 in the Euro 2016 groups, and famously coming back from two down with 15 minutes to go to win 3-2 in Euro 2008’s last 16. Here’s how those matches panned out …

Czechia make two changes to their starting XI after the 1-1 draw with Georgia. Patrik Schick has been unable to prove his fitness so Mojmír Chytil takes his place up front; Schick will be available from the bench, though. Antonín Barák comes into the midfield at the expense of Václav Černý.

Turkey boss Vincenzo Montella has had enough in the wake of the 3-0 defeat to Portugal. Only four players who started that match retain their place: Samet Akaydin, Ferdi Kadıoğlu, Barış Alper Yılmaz and captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu. The 19-year-old wonderkid Arda ‘Turkish Messi’ Güler returns from injury.

The teams

Preamble