TURKEY CRASHED OUT out of Euro 2016 after Republic of Ireland’s dramatic 1-0 victory over Italy on Wednesday.
Fatih Terim’s men were on the brink of qualifying for the last 16 without playing, but Robbie Brady’s goal with five minutes remaining in Lille saw them exit the tournament in heart-breaking fashion.
Turkey had sealed third place in Group D when they defeated Czech Republic 2-0 in Lens on Tuesday and looked to be in with a strong chance of qualifying at the start of their nervous wait to see if other results went their way.
They would have gone through had Hungary beaten Portugal in Group F, but Fernando Santos’ men secured a 3-3 draw after coming from behind on three occasions.
Turkey had another chance when Group E was the last to come to a conclusion, knowing they would be through if Ireland failed to beat Italy and Sweden did not beat Belgium in the other game.
Sweden’s result went their way with Belgium winning 1-0 thanks to Radja Nainggolan’s late goal, but Brady booked Ireland a place in the next round against France and ensured Turkey missed out.
Slovakia, Republic of Ireland, Portugal and Northern Ireland are the four third-placed teams with the best record who progress to the knockout stages, with Turkey and Albania losing out on goal difference.
