Draft:Battle of Hamburg (UEFA Euro 2024)

The Battle of Hamburg (German: Schlacht von Hamburg, Czech: Bitva o Hamburk, Turkish: Hamburg Savaşı; is the nickname of a football match played in Group F of UEFA Euro 2024 between the Czech Republic and Turkey at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg on 26 June 2024. Romanian referee István Kovács issued a European Championship record two red cards and 16 yellow cards, setting a new record for cards shown at any UEFA-administered international tournament. In addition, the match broke the record for the fastest sending off, with Czech midfielder Antonín Barák being shown a red card after 20 minutes.

Background
The Czech Republic and Turkey had met a total of eleven times since 1994; the Czechs won five, the Turkish also won five, with one match ending in a draw. The teams have met twice in the Euros, with Turkey winning by scores of 3–2 and 2–0 in 2008 and 2016 respectively. Both matches occurred on the final matchday of the group stage, with the Turkish effectively knocking out the Czech of the competition both times. Turkish forward Cenk Tosun was the only player to compete in both 2016 and 2024 fixtures.

Czech Republic and Turkey's group, Group F, also consisted of 2016 champions Portugal and debutants Georgia. The Czechs narrowly lost to Portugal, with a late goal by Francisco Conceição giving Portugal a 2–1 lead. On the second matchday, they drew 1–1 with Georgia in a cagey affair. Despite a 3–1 victory over Georgia in their opening game, a 3–0 loss to Portugal meant that Turkey could not earn first place, and had to get a result against the Czech Republic in order to advance to the knockout stage. Both teams had lots to play for, as a Czech victory would also guarantee their spot in the last sixteen.