Demiral's goal in the first minute gives Turkey a 1-0 halftime lead over Austria at Euro 2024

LEIPZIG, Germany (AP) — Merih Demiral’s early goal has given Turkey a 1-0 lead over Austria at halftime in their last-16 game at the European Championship.

Tuesday’s game got off to a ferocious start. Both teams had chances inside the first 30 seconds and Demiral scored inside the first minute after the Austrian defense failed to deal with a corner.

Christoph Baumgartner’s attempted clearance rebounded back off teammate Stefan Posch to goalkeeper Patrick Pentz, who scooped it off the line only for Demiral to pounce on the rebound and score.

UEFA clocked the goal at 57 seconds, making it the second-fastest ever at the Euros. Albania scored after 23 seconds against Italy in the group stage.

Austria almost responded but Demiral somehow did enough to keep Baumgartner from scoring on the line.

The Austrians pushed hard for an equalizer but the Turkish players matched their intensity and might have scored more – Turkey star Arda Guler tried his luck from distance and Demiral went close from corner.

Austria won 6-1 in Vienna when the teams last played in March, but it hasn’t beaten Turkey in competitive match since 1990.

Austria’s injured team captain David Alaba and Guler, his Real Madrid teammate, shared a warm embrace before the game, as did Inter Milan teammates Marko Arnautovic and Calhanoglu.

The game is the only one from the round of 16 that isn’t being shown on free TV in Germany, prompting disappointment and anger from Turkish supporters. Some 3 million Turks or people with Turkish roots live in Germany, making them the country’s largest ethnic minority.

The winner of Tuesday’s match will play the Netherlands in Berlin on Saturday in the quarterfinals. The Dutch earlier defeated Romania 3-0 to progress.

AP Euro 2024: