Turkey 3-1 Georgia: Stunning goal by Arda Güler in the thrilling opening match of Group F at the 2024 European Championship

Arda Güler’s sensational second-half strike gave Turkey a 3-1 victory over Georgia in a highly entertaining opening match in Group F at Euro 2024.

The Real Madrid striker’s goal seemed to make the difference, but in injury time the Georgians pressed for an equaliser and Kerem Akturkoglu fired the ball into the empty net with the last shot.

Both of these teams had to wait a long time to play in the first few days of the tournament. And there was a risk that the wait before kick-off could be extended even further as torrential rain fell in Dortmund, causing waterfalls to rain down from the roof of the Signal Iduna Park. There were also clashes between Turkish and Georgian fans in the stadium when riot police intervened.

The rain eased, however, allowing for an exciting game in which Kaan Ayhan hit the post early on. Turkey actually took a deserved lead in the first half when Mert Muldur fired a stunning volley into the top corner from the right-back position.

Almost immediately it looked like it would be 2-0 when Kenan Yildiz fired the ball into the net at the far post after a quick counterattack. But the Turkish fans, who had created an incredible atmosphere in Dortmund, were briefly silenced when the video referee disallowed the ball for offside.

That was the turning point of the first half as Georgia, making their debut at a major tournament, equalised before half-time. Giorgi Kochorashvili broke into the box, fired a low ball into the middle and Georges Mikautadze fired home at the near post.

So the game was perfectly level until half time and it stayed that way until Real Madrid’s Güler took the spotlight midway through the second half, picking up the ball from 23 yards out and firing a beautiful shot into the top corner that sent the stadium into a frenzy.

Georgia pushed for a second equaliser. Kochorashvili almost scored when he made space in the box, but the crossbar prevented him from scoring. In stoppage time, he and Mikautadze got in each other’s way and wasted a huge chance.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s last-minute free-kick hit the post before Samet Akaydin pulled off a remarkable save to deny Georgia an equaliser. They gave it their all but their race only ended when Akturkoglu broke free and had the last word.

Three years after losing all three of their group stage matches and exiting early and humbly, this is a successful start to the Euro 2024 campaign for Turkey. They now face their toughest test in Group F against Portugal, while Georgia will face the Czech Republic.