CORRECTS UKRAINE TO CZECH REPUBLIC IN THE HEADLINE AND 1ST PARAGRAPH
By Selcuk Bugra Gokalp
ANKARA (AA) – Starting next week, Portugal will compete for their second trophy, the Czech Republic for their first trophy, and Türkiye for their first final in Group F of the 2024 UEFA European Championship.
Georgia, the surprise team of the competition, will aim to make their mark in their first European Championship finals.
The player with the most appearances and the highest number of goals in the history of the competition, Cristiano Ronaldo, will likely be the center of attention in the group matches, but Türkiye are also a force to be reckoned with given their acclaimed performance at EURO 2008.
- Türkiye
The Turkish National Football Team, which first participated in the European competition in 1996 and competed in the group stage, reached the quarterfinals in 2000 and the semifinals in 2008.
In the last two championships in 2016 and 2020, the Crescent Stars failed to get past the group stage.
Türkiye started the EURO 2024 Qualifiers under German coach Stefan Kuntz and played their last three matches under Italian coach Vincenzo Montella, and qualified for EURO 2024 as the Group D leaders in front of Croatia, the last World Cup semifinalists.
The Red and Whites won five, drew twice, and lost one game in their eight qualifying stage matches, scoring 14 and conceding 7 goals, to reach their sixth European Championship finals.
Standout names in the squad include national team captain Hakan Calhanoglu, who was named Italy's midfielder of the year after a good season at Inter Milan, and Arda Guler, the young Real Madrid star who has made a name for himself with his good performance.
Kenan Yildiz of Juventus, Orkun Kokcu of Benfica, and Merih Demiral of Al-Ahli are other important players on the Türkiye squad.
- Türkiye squad:
Goalkeepers: Altay Bayindir (Manchester United), Mert Gunok (Besiktas), Ugurcan Cakir (Trabzonspor)
Defenders: Samet Akaydin (Panathinaikos), Abdulkerim Bardakci (Galatasaray), Zeki Celik (Roma), Merih Demiral (Al-Ahli), Ferdi Kadioglu (Fenerbahce), Ahmetcan Kaplan (Ajax), Mert Muldur (Fenerbahce)
Midfielders: Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter), Ismail Yuksek (Fenerbahce), Kaan Ayhan (Galatasaray), Okay Yokuslu (West Brom), Orkun Kokcu (Benfica), Salih Ozcan (Dortmund)
Forwards: Yunus Akgun (Leicester), Kerem Akturkoglu (Galatasaray), Arda Guler (Real Madrid), Irfan Can Kahveci (Fenerbahce), Semih Kilicsoy (Besiktas), Cenk Tosun (Besiktas), Yusuf Yazici (Lille), Bertug Yildirim (Rennes), Kenan Yildiz (Juventus), Baris Alper Yilmaz (Galatasaray)
- Portugal
Portugal, led by superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who has previously played in EURO 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020, scored 14 times, and tops the most appearances by a player and the highest number of goals in the history of the competition, is aiming for their second trophy after 2016.
Apart from Ronaldo, Ruben Dias in defense, Bruno Fernandes and Vitinha in midfield, and Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix, and Rafael Leao in the attack are other standout names in the squad.
Portugal, under Belgian coach Roberto Martinez, won all 10 of their matches in qualifying Group J to book their EURO 2024 ticket.
With three semifinals and two quarterfinals to their name, apart from the 2016 title, Portugal seems to be the most promising team in Group F.
- Portugal squad:
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto), Rui Patricio (Roma), Jose Sa (Wolves)
Defenders: Joao Cancelo (Barcelona), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting CP), Nuno Mendes (Paris), Pepe (Porto), Nelson Semedo (Wolves), Antonio Silva (Benfica)
Midfielders: Danilo (Paris), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Pedro Neto (Wolves), Joao Neves (Benfica), Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal), Matheus Nunes (Manchester City), Joao Palhinha (Fulham), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Vitinha (Paris)
Forwards: Francisco Conceicao (Porto), Joao Felix (Barcelona), Diogo Jota (Liverpool), Rafael Leao (AC Milan), Goncalo Ramos (Paris), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr)
- Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, formed after the split of Czechoslovakia in 1993, has participated in all European championships since 1996.
The Czechs, who scored their greatest success by reaching the EURO final in 1996, lost 2-1 to Germany after a golden goal in extra time of the final and finished as runners-up.
The Czech Republic reached the semifinals in 2004 and the quarterfinals in both 2012 and 2020.
The Czech National Football Team, coached by Ivan Hasek, had four wins, three draws, and one defeat in eight matches in Group E. With 15 points and a goal difference, they ranked second and qualified for the EURO 2024.
West Ham United's Tomas Soucek and Bayer Leverkusen's Patrik Schick are the most standout names in the squad.
- Czech Republic squad:
Goalkeepers: Vitezslav Jaros (Sturm Graz), Matej Kovar (Leverkusen) Jindrich Stanek (Slavia Prague)
Defenders: Vladimir Coufal (West Ham), David Doudera (Slavia Prague), Robin Hranac (Viktoria Plzen), David Jurasek (Hoffenheim), Ladislav Krejci (Sparta Prague), Martin Vitik (Sparta Prague), Tomas Vlcek (Slavia Prague), David Zima (Slavia Prague)
Midfielders: Antonin Barak (Fiorentina), Lukas Cerv (Viktoria Plzen), Tomas Holee (Slavia Prague), Matej Jurasek (Slavia Prague), Ondrej Lingr (Feyenoord), Lukas Provod (Slavia Prague), Michal Sadilek (Twente), Tomas Soucek (West Ham), Pavel Sulc (Viktoria Plzen)
Forwards: Vaclav Cerny (Wolfsburg), Tomas Chory (Viktoria Plzen), Mojmir Chytil (Slavia Prague), Adam Hlozek (Leverkusen), Jan Kuchta (Sparta Prague), Patrik Schick (Leverkusen)
- Georgia
Having surprised the sporting public by qualifying for EURO 2024, French coach Willy Sagnol's team Georgia, which had two wins, two draws, and four defeats in eight matches in Group A, ranked fourth with 8 points.
The Georgians, who qualified for the playoffs according to their ranking in the UEFA Nations League, defeated Luxembourg 2-0 in the playoff semifinal and Greece 4-2 in penalty shootouts in a match that ended 0-0.
They are likely to rely on Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia the most in the tournament.
The 23-year-old left winger, who scored 4 goals in the qualifiers, could leave his mark on his team with his performance in the championship.
Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, Metz center back Georges Mikautadze, and 36-year-old captain Guram Kashia, who has played in over 100 national matches, are other prominent names in the squad.
- Georgia squad:
Goalkeepers: Luka Gugeshashvili (Qarabag), Giorgi Loria (Dinamo Tbilisi), Giorgi Mamardashvili (Valencia)
Defenders: Lasha Dvali (APOEL), Giorgi Gocholeishvili (Shakhtar Donetsk), Giorgi Gvelesiani (Persepolis), Otar Kakabadze (Cracovia), Guram Kashia (Slovan Bratislava), Solomon Kverkvelia (Al-Okhdood), Luka Lochoshvili (Cremonese), Jemal Tabidze (Panetolikos)
Midfielders: Sandro Altunashvili (Wolfsberger), Giorgi Chakvetadze (Watford), Zuriko Davitashvili (Bordeaux), Otar Kiteishvili (Sturm Graz), Giorgi Kochorashvili (Levante), Nika Kvekveskiri (Lech Poznan), Saba Lobjanidze (Atlanta United), Anzor Mekvabishvili (Universitatea Craiova), Gabriel Sigua (Basel), Levan Shengelia (Panetolikos), Giorgi Tsitaishvili (Dinamo Batumi)
Forwards: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli), Giorgi Kvilitaia (APOEL), Georges Mikautadze (Metz), Budu Zivzivadze (Karlsruhe)
- Group F Fixtures:
June 18 (1600GMT): Türkiye vs. Georgia (BVB Stadion Dortmund)
June 18 (1900GMT): Portugal vs. Czech Republic (Leipzig Stadium)
June 22 (1300GMT): Georgia vs. Czech Republic (Volksparkstadion)
June 22 (1600GMT): Türkiye vs. Portugal (BVB Stadion Dortmund)
June 26 (1900GMT): Georgia vs. Portugal (Arena AufSchalke)
June 26 (1900GMT): Czech Republic vs. Türkiye (Volksparkstadion)