Joy and sadness go hand in hand in football. On the one hand, after the final whistle in the round of 16, there are among the Türkiye And in Austria there are real storms of celebration, while on the other hand the players are disheartened and frustrated.
Not many experts would have thought that the Turks could actually beat the Austrians. Yes, they can! And how! With heart and passion, but still with the necessary seriousness, they reach the quarter-finals. The Austrians ran almost desperately for much of the match, but could not get through.
The parade of your life! Günok becomes a Turkish hero with an epic scene
In addition to the outstanding central defence formed by double goalscorer Demiral and Gelsenkirchen native Kaan Ayhan, goalkeeper Mert Günok is also responsible for keeping the goalkeeper in his place. The 36-year-old reacted brilliantly in the 51st minute, when he pounced on Marko Arnautovic, who was completely free, thus preventing the score from being 1-1.
The man who has always played in Turkey looks much worse in the 84th minute. Günok mishandles a cross, allowing Leipzig's Christoph Baumgartner to get to the ball. However, the striker fails to get the ball into the box.
As I said, it's a question of joy and sadness. Baumgartner and Günok should once again face each other in a direct duel in this game. In the 95th minute, the Austrians make a desperate run, a last ball comes out from the left and enters the Turkish penalty area.
Mert Gönok: He became a hero at the age of 36
Baumgartner makes a perfect run towards the far post, climbs up to the height of the six-yard box and drives the ball powerfully towards the far post with a touchdown shot. Some Austrians must have already been shouting goal. Too much… no! Because Günok comes out of the box like a catapult and at the last moment directs the ball around the post with his right foot.
The author of these lines has not actually seen many of the goalkeeper's matches, but one thing is clear. THAT was the parade of a lifetime for the 1.96 metre tall man. A moment he will still be talking about in 40 years. Or he should. Or at least it is addressed.
For that, Günok had to be 36 years old. The goalkeeper, who played for Besiktas in Istanbul, later became the first choice and was never undisputed in the national team. This moment certainly made up for everything. So it is with joy and sadness. On that rainy day, a hero of Turkish football was born in Leipzig.