With Turkey holding a 2-1 lead deep in second-half stoppage time last night and Austria frantically searching for an equaliser, Turkey’s goalkeeper Mert Gunok pulled off the save of the tournament so far when he miraculously denied Christoph Baumgartner from close range to earn his country a place in the last eight at Euro 2024.

It was an incredible save reminiscent of Gordon Banks’ iconic stop from Pele for England against Brazil in the 1970 World Cup, and I’m not exaggerating when I say it is one of the best I’ve ever seen.

The way Gunok went back across goal and saved the bouncing ball off a soaking wet surface on a rainy night, in such a huge moment, was sensational.

 

There’s a level of instinctual awareness in Gunok’s save that can only have been built from putting in hours of work on a consistent basis. The movements and interaction made as he throws himself toward the ball can only be done owing to the countless hours he’s put in on the training pitch; the result of putting himself into the right place at exactly the right time over and over again. This save didn’t happen by accident.

With the ball looping high up in the air, Gunok first turned his body, and then took three quick shuffle-steps across his goal, all while keeping his head and eyes focused on the ball above him. This was important because, in a split second, it helped him judge the flight and trajectory while simultaneously anticipating its final destination. Had he hesitated even for just a moment, it would have been an extra-time-forcing goal.

It didn’t take long for Gunok to realise the initial looping ball wasn’t one he would be able to claim outright in the air and he quickly scanned the area in front of him and saw Baumgartner all alone at the back post. With the ball still in the air above him, Gunok decided to shift his eyes away from it and onto Baumgartner’s anticipated point of impact.

It may sound strange that a goalkeeper would take their eyes off the arriving ball, but it’s a big reason Gunok was able to pull off this save.

By anticipating the point of impact, he allowed himself to see the ball for the entirety of its flight, keep his feet in near-continuous contact with the ground and time his approach perfectly, helping him to get set at exactly the right time to impact the play. Had Gunok kept his eyes on the ball and attempted to react to the shot after impact, it’s unlikely he would have been able to reach out to the ball in time, even with his superb reflexes.

The information in front of him (the speed of the cross, the bouncing ball, Baumgartner’s body shape) told him that the ball’s most likely destination was back the way it had come. Due to his limited reaction time, Gunok resorted to using a smaller step (rather than a more traditional step forward) because he no longer had the time or distance to make a larger one to his right. Instead, he had to tuck his right foot underneath himself, predominantly pushing off with his outside (left) foot towards the ball.

As the ball headed toward goal, Gunok tucked that right leg underneath him and explosively threw himself to his right with all his might, using every single inch of his 196cm (6ft 5in) frame, and pushed the ball wide of the post. His ability to temporarily gather his feet underneath him at the final moment helped him get his footwork organised at a crucial moment and anticipate the ball back across his goal to make a breathtaking save.

Making things even more difficult for Gunok in the moment was the way the ball bounced on its way towards goal.

When a ball bounces in front of you, you are no longer dealing with a ball that has a predictable path toward goal, but one that could change direction and vary in its height after that bounce. It’s in these moments that a goalkeeper typically needs to make two movements, which is a big reason why it’s so difficult to make a save on a bouncing shot or header similar to Baumgartner’s. The goalkeeper needs to first move downwards to react to the low shot and then spring upwards as the ball bounces off the grass — all while simultaneously moving their body laterally and forward to get behind and cut off the shot.

Getting your timing right and building a solid barrier behind the ball can be tough enough when you have a good read on the play. It’s infinitely more difficult when the thing changes direction on its way to your goal. It’s in these moments when the goalkeeper’s focus and timing are of the utmost importance.

It’s hard to articulate how difficult it is to push off your back leg with as much power and as quickly as Gunok did here to make the save. He simply had no business getting to that ball.

Gunok’s enthusiastic reaction after making the save and the nonverbal reactions of the Austria players after they failed to equalise say more than any words could about how magnificent it was.

Saves are a lot like goals in that the implications, and the stage upon which they are made, determine their greatness.

If Gunok’s save last night comes at another point in any number of other games, it doesn’t become etched in history. The fact it occurred at the death, and could have been the difference between Turkey advancing to the quarter-finals or going out of the tournament either after extra time or on penalties, makes it much more special.