Baris Alper Yilmaz said Turkiye kept their promise as a team of reaching the knockout stages of Euro 2024 following their 2-1 win over 10-man Czechia. 

Vincenzo Montella's side left it late to secure second place in Group E, as Cenk Tosun's late strike set up a date with Austria in Leipzig next Tuesday. 

It marked the first time that Turkiye had progressed from the group stage of the European Championships since 2008, with Yilmaz playing a starring role in their triumph. 

"I want to be as useful to the team as possible," substitute Yilmaz said. "It was a really difficult match. We made it to the last 16, we are very happy."

"When we talked with our friends before the camp, our only goal was to get out of the group. We kept our promise and left the group. Now we will proceed step by step."

For Czechia, their winless run at the Euros continued, and have now failed to win a match in a single edition of the tournament for just the second time, after Euro 2016.

Antonin Barak's early dismissal did not help their cause, although Tomas Soucek's equaliser provided the hope of staging an unlikely comeback. 

"It is a disappointment because we all wanted to advance," Soucek said. "We were set up for it. I thought that was enough... and it is a disappointment because we didn't make it.

"I said before the match that I hope it will not happen (the sending-off). It is the third match.... But of course there are many situations that we should have handled as a team."

Cenk Tosun's late strike made sure of Turkiye's date with Austria in the knockout stages of Euro 2024 after finishing second in Group F following their 2-1 win over 10-man Czechia. 

Hakan Calhanoglu's first major tournament goal gave Vincenzo Montella's men the lead after Antonin Barak saw red early on, only for Tomas Soucek to respond for a Czechia side who needed all three points.

But substitute Tosun would have the final say, firing into the bottom corner in the 94th minute, with ugly scenes following the full-time whistle as Tomas Chory also saw red after a feisty encounter in Hamburg.

Czechia finished bottom of the group as Georgia advanced following their 2-0 win over Portugal in Gelsenkirchen. 

The opening exchanges saw both sides start nervously, and perhaps the key moment came in the 19th minute when Barak, who had been shown a yellow card nine minutes earlier, was given his marching orders after a late challenge on Salih Ozcan. 

Despite Turkiye's man advantage, Czechia's rearguard action restricted them to very little, with the first half ending with more bookings than shots on target. 

However, Montella's side came out firing after the break, with their fast start rewarded as Calhanoglu rifled home moments after seeing Kenan Yildiz denied by Jindrich Stanek. 

That joy was short-lived as Soucek fired Czechia level, with Mert Gunok's appeals for a foul by Chory in the build-up dismissed following a VAR review.

Turkiye were still on course for the last 16 with a draw, though, and Tosun made sure after his introduction from the bench, smashing beyond substitute goalkeeper Matej Kovar in the closing seconds.

Data Debrief: Tosun sparks Turkish delight in Hamburg

Tosun, sent on with 15 minutes to play, had only four touches, but the telling one in stoppage time put the final stamp on Turkiye's passage to the last 16.

The win for Turkiye saw them progress from the group stage at the Euros for the first time since 2008, having previously been eliminated in the 2016 and 2020 editions.

Real Madrid are "the best team of this generation" and could go all the way in the Champions League again this season, according to former European champion Mario Gomez.

Madrid claimed their 14th European crown in incredible fashion last term, overcoming Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City in a series of dramatic knockout ties.

Having reached the final despite losing a game in the last 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals, Los Blancos captured their fifth Champions League title in nine seasons by beating Liverpool 1-0 in Paris.

As Carlo Ancelotti's men prepare to face City in a repeat of last year's semi-final tie, former Bayern Munich striker Gomez described them as the "true beast" of Europe's premier club competition.

"With Real Madrid, over the last 10 years, how many times have we thought, 'it is over for them', and they just come back every time," Gomez said in an interview with the Go Turkiye YouTube channel.

"They are the true beast of the Champions League, absolutely unbelievable. 

"Since I was very little, I have been a Barcelona supporter, but I really enjoy this Real Madrid side.

"They believe until the last second, so, for me they are the best team of this generation.

"For that reason, I think that they will go really far. I don't know if they will win it, because football is unpredictable, but they can reach the final."

Turkey striker Cenk Tosun was speaking alongside Gomez, and having worked with Ancelotti during a stint in the Premier League with Everton, he believes the Italian could be set for more glory in Istanbul next month.

"It is always a special event to have the Champions League final here in Turkey," Tosun said. "Of course, Real Madrid is the winner of last season and a clear favourite. 

"They have the same manager as last year, Mr. Ancelotti. I worked with him at Everton and I really like him, he is a special person for me, so I would pick Real Madrid to win it."

Gomez appeared as a substitute as Bayern beat Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund in the 2013 Champions League final, as part of a memorable treble won by Jupp Heynckes' team.

Reflecting on that win, Gomez said: "It was one of the most beautiful days in my life, because we were in the final one year before against Chelsea, and we lost [on penalties].

"To this day nobody knows how we lost that game. In 2012-13 we really had the power and energy to show people that it was our year, it was our time. 

"The final wasn't that good. Dortmund were as strong as us, if not better, but in the end, we got the trophy. When we got handed the trophy and lifted it in front of the fans, it was amazing.

"The four years I spent there were just incredible. There were so many special players in that team.

"I'll start with the two wingers. They were the stars and I was just the finisher. On the left-hand side we had Franck Ribery. 

"On the other wing, Arjen Robben. Totally different from Franck. He always wanted to finish. 

"With Arjen I always had to predict the keeper's movement, and if they saved his shot, I was there for the rebound. I scored many goals liked that!"