Turkey goalkeeper Mert Gunok pulled off a superb Gordon Banks-esque save to deny Austria a late equaliser in their Euro 2024 last-16 clash. The Besiktas shot-stopper had already made one sensational stop before he denied Christoph Baumgartner with the best save of the tournament so far.
Austria piled the pressure on Turkey late in the game after halving their two-goal deficit midway through the second half. Baumgartner thought he had forced extra-time with a powerful header.
The midfielder connected perfectly with a left-wing cross, directing the ball back across goal and towards the corner. However, Gunok sprung across his line and tipped the ball away from his goal.
Speaking on commentary, former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon compared the save with one made by England icon Banks at the 1970 World Cup. The then-Three Lions shot-stopper denied Pele with a save widely considered the greatest of all-time.
“His distribution has been absolutely first class but that is world class,” Dixon said of Gunok’s save.
“It is like a Gordon Banks replica. He has been a rock at the back. He made a good save in the first half and he has made a worldie to keep the tie at 2-1 and send them to the quarter-finals.”
In a situation similar to the one that saw Gunok deny Baumgartner, Banks dived to keep out a Pele header that was destined for the very bottom corner. Remarkably, the Stoke and Leicester legend managed to tip the ball up and over the crossbar.
When Banks died in 2019, Pele recounted: “The save was one of the best I have ever seen – in real life, and in all the thousands of games I have watched since.
“When you are a footballer, you know straight away how well you have hit the ball. I hit that header exactly as I had hoped. Exactly where I wanted it to go. And I was ready to celebrate.
“But then this man, Banks, appeared in my sight, like a kind of blue phantom, is how I described him. He came from nowhere and he did something I didn’t feel was possible. He pushed my header, somehow, up and over. And I couldn’t believe what I saw. Even now when I watch it l, I can’t believe it.”
Turkey held on for a 2-1 victory and will play the Netherlands in the Euro 2024 quarter-final. Merih Demiral scored twice from set-pieces, with Michael Gregoritsch grabbing a goal back for Austria.
