With a 2-0 victory over Portugal, Georgia made history by qualifying for the Euro group stage in their first appearance.
Georgia had only earned 1 point and was at the bottom of Group F before the match against Portugal. Not many people thought that this “tiny” team could create a surprise against a much stronger opponent.
However, Georgia surprised everyone by defeating Portugal 2-0. With this result, coach Willy Sagnol’s team won a ticket to the next round in a spectacular way.
Georgia players celebrate victory with fans (Photo: Getty).
They ranked 3rd in Group F with 4 points after 3 matches and are in the group of 3rd ranked teams with the best results. Georgia’s opponent in the 1/8 round of Euro 2024 is Spain. Meanwhile, Portugal tops the group with 6 points. They will meet Slovenia in the next round.
Going into this match, coach Roberto Martinez took away many pillars such as Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva, but he still gave the opportunity to start the match to C.Ronaldo.
What few people expected was that after only 93 seconds, Portugal was ahead by Georgia. From a very quick counterattack, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia decisively shot into Portugal’s net.
In the following minutes, the Portuguese players mainly “pumped the ball” for C.Ronaldo. However, this attack is ineffective. CR7 did not leave any mark other than receiving a yellow card because of the referee’s reaction when he thought he was pulled down in the penalty area.
Big disappointment for C. Ronaldo and his teammates (Photo: UEFA).
In the beginning of the second half, C. Ronaldo had a great chance to score but his close-range shot hit a Georgia player.
At minute 57, Georgia created the next shock. The referee determined that Antonio Silva fouled Luka Lochoshvili in the penalty area. On the 11m mark, Georges Mikautadze successfully finished, increasing the score to 2-0 for Georgia.
At minute 65, C. Ronaldo was taken off the field. This striker still cannot find the goal he wants.
In the remaining minutes, Portugal’s attack could not penetrate Georgia’s determined defense. The match ended with a score of 2-0 in favor of coach Willy Sagnol’s team. A worthy victory for Georgia.