Turkey

The news of his death was announced by Super Lig club Konyaspor, for whom Calik had been playing this season.

Calik joined Konyaspor from Galatasaray in 2020 and wore the number six shirt for the top-flight team.

Newspaper Hurriyet reported Calik's car came off the road between Ankara and Nigde.

Turkish media broadcast footage of a car said to have been the one driven by Calik, lying in a crumpled state in a field.

Konyaspor said: "We are deeply saddened by the loss of our football player Ahmet Calık, who has won the love of our fans and our city since the first day he came to Konyaspor.

"Condolences to all of us, especially to the family of our football player Ahmet Calık."

The club said Calik's burial would take place later on Tuesday after funeral prayers at the Elmadag Sungur Mosque.

He had signed a three-year contract extension in November, after making a positive impact since arriving.

The Turkish Football Federation announced Calik "passed away as a result of a traffic accident".

"May Allah have mercy on the deceased; Our condolences to his family, relatives, Ittifak Holding Konyaspor Club and the Turkish football community," the federation said.

Galatasaray expressed their sorrow, saying it was news that caused "deep sadness".

England midfielder Bellingham scored a stunning overhead kick to equalise in stoppage time against Solvakia, keeping his side's tournament hopes alive.

But he was seen kissing his hand and grabbing his crotch after the full-time whistle in a gesture some interpreted as an insult towards Slovakia's fans and bench.

Bellingham later took to social media to rubbish the claims, claiming it was an "inside joke gesture".

After an investigation, UEFA has handed him a €30,000 fine, along with a one-match suspended ban, which means he can face Switzerland on Saturday.

The ban is suspended for one year.

While Bellingham will be available for England's quarter-final against Switzerland, Demiral will not be able to play in his side's match against the Netherlands.

The defender scored twice against Austria, including the fastest-ever knockout round goal in Euros history, and celebrated his second with a 'wolf salute'.

His gesture, which is banned in France and Austria, is associated with the far-right extremist group Grey Wolves, which is linked with Turkiye’s ruling coalition party, the National Movement Party.

The 34-year-old is appearing at his fourth major tournament with the Oranje, who he represented at the 2014 and 2022 World Cups, as well as Euro 2020.

However, his playing involvement has been far more limited this time around, with the defender only appearing for the final minute of the 3-0 victory over Romania in the round of 16.

Blind was made aware this would be the case ahead of the tournament following a discussion with head coach Ronald Koeman, who encouraged him to use his vast experience to benefit the younger players in the squad.

"It's different, and it takes some getting used to," the Girona defender told reporters at a press conference on Thursday. "In this role, you try to help your team-mates, keeping them sharp and motivated. Some have it hard at times.

"You want to play yourself, of course, but it is a choice the coach has made, and I try to be a helping hand where necessary. I knew what my role would be after speaking to the coach before the tournament started.

"But the fact that this was going to be my role never meant for a moment that I didn't want to come to the tournament. It's a great honour to play for the Dutch team, and certainly at a final tournament."

The Netherlands are gearing up for a quarter-final showdown with Turkiye in Berlin on Saturday.

England or Switzerland will await the winners in the last four, where the Oranje are aiming to advance for the first time in this competition since 2004. 

"Hopefully, it will be a great match," Blind added. "Turkiye bring a lot of emotion and passion, so we'll have to be wary of that. It is a quarter-final at a major tournament, and that is always a tough event."

Turkiye took the lead through Samet Akaydin's 35th minute header, becoming the seventh different goalscorer for Vincenzo Montella's side in the tournament. 

However, Stefan de Vrij and a Mert Muldur own goal turned things around for the Netherlands, setting up a semi-final clash with England next Wednesday. 

Having taken the lead, Turkiye aimed to defend it, but that came with a cost as Ronald Koeman's side ramped up the pressure in the second half. 

Montella's side had 43.4% possession and completed 182 passes in the first half, compared to just 37.6% and 112 following the interval.

"When we look at the tournament in general, teams that take a 1-0 lead generally sit back," Calhanoglu said. 

"I don’t know why this is the case, but it was the same for us today. We sat back a lot," he told reporters.

"We conceded two goals in seven minutes, which of course hurt us a little. In the end, we tried to try and had a chance with long balls, but we couldn't take advantage.

"Sometimes things like this happen in football. We need to learn from this. I am proud of everyone."

Turkiye impressed at the tournament, reaching the knockout stages of a European Championship for the first time since 2008. 

The nation are set to co-host Euro 2032 along with Italy, and Calhanoglu believes his side can use their experience in Germany to build towards a bright future. 

"As long as we are united, as long as we are together, we can achieve anything. We have always shown this," he said.

Goalkeeper Rustu spent much of his club career at Fenerbahce, including a loan stint with the Turkish Super Lig giants during a three-year stay at Barcelona.

A star of the 2002 World Cup, Rustu played just seven times for Barca - all within the 2003-04 season - but retired aged 39 in 2012 with 120 international caps to his name.

The 46-year-old's wife Isil posted on her Instagram page on Saturday to inform fans of her husband's diagnosis.

"I would like to give you more positive news while sharing the truth in the most transparent way, but I'm sorry to say that my husband Rustu is hospitalised with the diagnosis of COVID-19," she wrote.

"We are shocked by the rapid symptoms that developed suddenly when everything was normal. These are critical and difficult times.

"May Allah give emergency relief to all patients, including my dear husband.

"My only request is that people can be a little more conscientious and respectful in the process. In the tests we have done, my daughter and son were negative and only my husband was positive.

"For this reason, we are at home while he's in hospital, and we are not allowed to see him. In fact, this is the most difficult part, not being able to be with him.

"Allah is great and is entrusted to him and the Turkish doctors. I hope this will pass."

Orgill spent last season at Manisa FK, also in Turkey, scoring three goals in 10 matches in a season where he was plagued with injury.

“We signed a contract with Dever Orgill, the Jamaican footballer who wore Manisa FK jersey last season. We wish him success in the Bodrumspor uniform,” the team said on its Facebook page.

Bodrumspor finished third in the TTF Second League last season.

Orgill scored four goals in 18 appearances for the Reggae Boyz between 2010 and 2019.

Following the easing of coronavirus restrictions in Germany, Bundesliga teams have been gradually welcoming fans back to matches since the start of the 2020-21 season, albeit at reduced capacity.

Approximately 6,000 fans saw Hoffenheim beat defending champions Bayern Munich 4-1 at the end of September, with the German Football League (DFL) previously ruling that stadiums could fill 20 per cent of their capacity as long as social distancing protocols were adhered to.

UEFA made a similar decision last week, permitting stadiums to be up to 30 per cent full – subject to local permission – and Germany were set to allow up to 9,200 people in to watch the clash with Turkey in Cologne.

But due to a rise in the local coronavirus infection rate, they have been forced into a rethink.

A DFB statement read: "The local health department in Cologne, in agreement with the local authorities, has informed the German Football Association (DFB) that the international against Turkey tomorrow (Wednesday, 20:45 CEST) cannot take place with 9,200 fans as planned.

"This is due to the fact that the seven-day local infection rate in Cologne has exceeded the 35 limit (per 100,000 people). Only 300 fans will now be able to attend the game in the RheinEnergieStadion."

The DFB confirmed it planned to give the majority of the 300 available tickets to key workers.

Eyebrows were raised as Guler was forced to settle for a place on the bench, while only appearing for the final 20 minutes of his nation's loss in Dortmund, despite making such a positive impact in their opener against Georgia.

The Real Madrid prodigy scored a sublime long-range effort in the 3-1 victory, becoming the youngest player to find the net on his European Championship debut in the process.

The 19-year-old only played 10 times in LaLiga last season, with Montella believing a lack of competitive action is a concern for his players.

"Arda wasn't fit to play," the Turkiye head coach said. "I can say clearly he could not play more than 30 minutes without increasing the risk.

"There was also a temptation of not putting him 20 minutes from the end, but I finally gave in because good players must play, in my opinion.

"Because we often tend to forget that most of our footballers are not used to playing with continuity in their clubs, and I am talking about one game a week. When you play once every four days, it's another sport. You need to be physically fit, you need to be prepared.

"Arda is a great, smart guy. He is very passionate about his country, is proud of his country. But even though he knew that he was risking an injury by playing, he wanted to be on the pitch."

Despite that Portugal defeat, Turkiye are second in Group F with three points, and a draw from their final game against Czechia would be enough to secure their place in the last 16.

The Netherlands came from behind to beat Turkiye 2-1 on Saturday thanks to a header from Stefan de Vrij and Mert Muldur's own goal in Berlin.

That victory set up a semi-final clash with England in Dortmund on Wednesday.

And Koeman suggested his team have proved their doubters wrong with the spirit they have shown through their run to the last four.

"I think for the whole nation it's something special," he said, as quoted by The Athletic.

"We're a small nation and we're part of the semi-finals with England, France and Spain. We're really proud to have the opportunity to play it on Wednesday.

"It was a really emotional match and we had a big heart, and sometimes we get criticised about that, that we don't have that heart compared to other nations.

"The players showed it in the second half, and the last five minutes. You probably saw that better from the TV than I did from the bench. We had to suffer."

Some excellent goalkeeping from Bart Verbruggen and brilliant last-ditch defending from the Oranje as a team helped them keep Turkiye at bay after Muldur bundled into his own net under pressure from Cody Gakpo in the 76th minute.

De Vrij's equaliser was his first goal for the Netherlands since March 2015, and the centre-back is now relishing a meeting with England, who scraped past Switzerland on penalties.

"It definitely means a lot to us as a team," he said.

"First of all, to reach the semi-finals is great for us, but it’s not finished yet. From tomorrow we will start to prepare for this very important game.

"I think that England has a great team, they have so much quality, but so do we. The Netherlands against England is a very nice game and in the semi-final of the Euros? It'll be a great match."

The 2016 champions booked their place in the last 16 with a game to spare following their 3-0 win over Turkiye on Saturday.

Strikes from Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes sandwiched Samet Akaydin's calamitous own goal to move Portugal onto an unassailable six points after their first two matches, while sealing top spot in Group F.

Martinez's side have now won more group-stage games than they did in the 2016 and 2020 editions combined (one win, four draws, one defeat). 

And the Spaniard is thrilled with the strides made by his side, who came from behind to beat Czechia 2-1 in their opener, and the head coach revealed he will shuffle his pack when they face Georgia on Wednesday.

"Securing first place is good because there are a lot of players in the dressing room who deserve to play, and we need to give them opportunities to show what they've got and create a competitive environment," he said.

"I was very happy with the attitude and them showing that we're growing game by game. It's good to see progress and a good level of play in two consecutive matches, and I feel that we are ready for the knock-outs."

After operating with three centre-halves against Czechia, Martinez reverted to a back four against Turkiye, and he believes having different options will stand Portugal in good stead heading into the next phase of the tournament.

"It's important to balance our abundance of individual talent and the best way to do it is to be tactically flexible," he added.

"To have that flexibility in a national team is difficult, so I think it's great that we have players talented enough to play different roles according to the situation and the rival."

Portugal were drawn into Group F at Saturday's draw in Hamburg, alongside Turkiye, the Czech Republic and a yet-to-be-decided play-off winner.

Georgia, Luxembourg, Greece and Kazakhstan will battle for the final place in Portugal's group in March's play-offs.

Portugal have won all 10 of their games since Roberto Martinez replaced Fernando Santos in the aftermath of last year's disappointing World Cup exit, scoring 36 goals and only conceding two as they dominated their qualification group.

Having led Belgium to the last three major tournaments, Martinez is experienced enough to know that will count for little when Portugal begin their campaign against the Czech Republic on June 18.

Asked whether he was satisfied with the draw, Martinez said: "Yes, because the format of the European Championship is unpredictable, there can be three teams that qualify.

"They are difficult opponents. The Czech Republic is a bit of an unknown because they don't have a coach.

"Turkey won their qualifying group against Croatia and Wales. It is a team with a mix of talent, youth and experience. 

"We want to have a perfect preparation. We qualified very well, but that doesn't give us an advantage in the tournament. We need to be prepared."

Martinez's main focus was on the logistical implications of Portugal's draw, and he was relieved to discover that their final two group games will be played in the neighbouring cities of Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen.

"For us, it is good news to be in Group F," he said. "We are based in the centre of Germany and we will have extra time to prepare for the first game. This is important for us." 

Having seen Aaron Ramsey and Joe Rodon squander golden opportunities early on, Bellamy thought his side had netted the first goal of his tenure in the 37th minute.

Ramsey's searching ball picked out Sorba Thomas behind the Turkiye defence before lobbing the ball over Mert Gunok, only for the offside flag to be raised.

The hosts played for just under half an hour with a man advantage after Baris Alper Yilmaz was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Neco Williams.

But Wales were unable to find a breakthrough, and they have now failed to score in four consecutive international matches for the first time since a run of four between February and September 2012. 

However, Bellamy praised his side's display on home soil, saying: "[The players were] outstanding. We have had a lot of work this week.

"There have been a lot of meetings and I am always conscious of a lot of information going in at the same time.

"But they were great this week and that gives you confidence.

"Believe me, this is the worst we are going to be. The more we learn, the more we spend together, the finer details.

"It's such a good start but there's much more to come from this team.

"I am not a master at this after one game, trust me. But I enjoyed it. It was a great country to play against in your first game and I am really happy."

Wales gave an exciting glimpse of what the future may hold under their new head coach, starting immediatley on the front foot with high-octane new style.

Having failed to qualify for Euro 2024 under Robert Page, Bellamy's appointment has seemingly galvanised Welsh football once again. 

His methods faced a stern test against Turkiye, who were one of the standout sides at the European Championships under Vincenzo Montella earlier this year.

Wales were a threat from set-pieces, with Ramsey going close with a flicked header, while a well worked corner routine was fired over by Rodon. 

Turkiye did provide a couple of anxious moments, however, with Yilmaz's appeals for a penalty waved away after tussling with Rodon inside the penalty area.

Having seen his goal ruled out in the first half, Thomas again went close after the break, with Harry Wilson's curling effort narrowly evading the far post. 

While there was to be no winning start for Bellamy, there was also a nod to the future. 

18-year-old Lewis Koumas made his home international debut, coming 15 years and 162 days since his father, Jason Koumas, made his last home appearance for Wales in a 2-0 defeat against Finland in March 2009.

Austria beat the Netherlands 3-2 to seal top spot in Group D ahead of the Oranje and tournament favourites France.

Turkiye, meanwhile, bounced back from a 3-0 defeat to Portugal by beating Czechia 2-1 and sealing their progress from Group F as runners-up.

These teams have landed in the kinder half of the draw, with a quarter-final against Romania or the Netherlands up for grabs.

Here, we preview the clash in Leipzig using Opta data.

What's expected?

Let's dig straight into the Opta supercomputer's prediction. The model is forecasting an Austria win, giving Ralf Rangnick's team a 48.2% chance of victory.

Turkiye have a 24.9% chance, while there's a 26.8% chance of a draw, which would of course mean extra time or even penalties.

This will be the first meeting in a major tournament between Austria and Turkiye.

Austria have won two of the last three encounters in all competitions (L1), including an emphatic 6-1 victory in March of this year.

In competitive matches, however, Turkiye are unbeaten in their last five games against Austria (W4 D1), keeping a clean sheet each time; this is the first such meeting since a goalless draw in a Euro 2012 qualifier in September 2011.

You can certainly expect a full-throttle encounter, though.

Rangnick's side are a brilliant pressing unit. Only Germany (8.8) had a lower PPDA in the group stages than Austria (9.0), while they were second for tackles (61) behind Georgia (63) and top for fouls conceded (49).

Turkiye love to get on the front foot, too. Indeed, only Portugal (5.8) and Spain (5.4) had a higher non-penalty expected goals total than Turkiye (5.2) in the groups, while Vincenzo Montella's side were also third for high turnovers (28), behind Croatia (34) and Portugal (30).

Ralf's still got it

Rangnick's interim stint in charge of Manchester United did not go well, and some eyebrows were raised when Bayern Munich approached him earlier this summer.

Yet on the evidence of Euro 2024, Rangnick has still very much got it.

His team have been fantastic, and were worthy winners of Group D, scoring six goals across their last two fixtures in the first round, and only going down to France due to an unfortunate own goal from Maximilian Wober.

Since Rangnick's first game in charge in June 2022, only three European nations – Portugal (73%), Spain (67%) and Netherlands (64%) – have a higher win percentage than Austria (60%), who have won 15 of their 25 matches under him.

Austria have qualified for the knockout stages of a major tournament for only a fourth time, also doing so at the 1934 and 1954 World Cups and Euro 2020, losing 2-1 to Italy in the round of 16 in the latter.

So it is hardly like the pressure is on, but given their displays so far, there is a feeling they can really go deep in this tournament.

The kids are alright

Turkiye were well fancied at Euro 2020, but ultimately flopped as they crashed out in the first round.

This is just the third time they have reached the Euros knockouts, after 2000 and 2008, reaching the semi-finals at the latter tournament, which, of course, was co-hosted by Austria. However, they have yet to win a knockout tie in 120 minutes in the competition. They progressed past Croatia in the quarters on penalties 16 years ago, before losing 3-2 to Germany in the last four.

But this new generation holds no fear.

Only Ukraine (25 years, 281 days) had a younger average age of their starting XI in the group stages than Turkiye (26y 170d).

In fact, should Kenan Yildiz (19y 59d on the day of the game) and Arda Guler (19y 128d on the day of the game) start, it will be just the second time a nation has started two teenagers in a knockout stage game at the Euros, after Hungary against Denmark in 1964 (Ferenc Bene and Zoltan Varga).

Guler may well be crucial, especially when considering that playmaker Hakan Calhanoglu will miss this match through suspension. 

Real Madrid youngster Guler is already his country's bright new hope, but he could make himself a hero here.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Austria - Christoph Baumgartner

Baumgartner has been directly involved in nine goals in his last eight appearances for Austria (six goals, three assists). 

He scored and assisted in the group stage, becoming the first Austrian player to do so in a single European Championship tournament, and first at a major tournament since Gerhard Rodax at the 1990 World Cup.

Baumgartner will be back playing on home turf in this match, too. He plies his trade for RB Leipzig.

Turkiye - Ferdi Kadioglu

Full-back Kadioglu created more chances from open play than any other player in the group stages (10), while only Mykola Matviienko (25) and Jeremy Doku (23) recorded more progressive carries of 10 metres or more (22).

He is certainly a player Austria need to keep a close eye on.

The 34-year-old Cornder, who transferred from Norwegian club IL Sandviken in November 2021, has now scored seven goals for Fenerbache and is now the joint top scorer in the league this season.

The veteran from Speyside in Tobago, scored in the 17^th, 27^th and 41^st minutes, adding to goals scored by Busem Şeker in the ninth minute, Marcano in the 12th minute and Nazlıcan Parlak in the 22nd and 25th minutes in the rout.

It was Fenerbahçe SK’s fourth consecutive win that pushed them into second place in the Group B standings with 15 points. Fomget leads with 18 points