Georgia bursts the stage of their first international tournament with a 2-0 victory over Portugal. On Wednesday, pulling off the biggest upset in European history with to goals from Georges Mikautadze and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia early in the game. The victory was Georgia’s best performance since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Even if it came against a largely inferior Portugal team that had advanced to the following round.
Speed with Rafael Leão before the Portugal vs Georgia match 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/knzXPDIftz
— Speedy Updates (@SpeedUpdates1) June 26, 2024
Georgia to the Knockout Stage
The match, which took place in front of tens of thousands of boisterous Georgian supporters, was also the biggest surprise because the squad, ranked 74th in the world, went up against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, who were ranked sixth and the 2016 European Champions. Georgia had to travel a roundabout road to Germany after finishing fourth in their Euro qualifying group. First, they had to win their group in the less glamorous Euro Nations competition, and then they had to overcome Greece in a play-off.
However, there was nothing unjust about how former France and Bayern Munich defender Coach Willy Sagnol and his team finished third in Group F of the competition, earning a matchup with three-time European champion Spain in the round of sixteen. Spain destroyed Georgia 7-1 in Tbilisi when the two teams faced off in September of last year during the tournament’s qualification round in Germany.
Georgia’s victory also ensures that in the round of sixteen, Portugal will play Slovenia, Romania will play the Netherlands, and England will play Slovakia. Hungary was eliminated, despite having a chance to advance to the next round.
In Wednesday’s other Group F encounter, Turkey defeated the 10-man Czech Republic 2-1 to secure their spot in the round of sixteen. The Czechs will now return home. After a clumsy ball from Antonio Silva, Kvaratskhelia, the Napoli winger, sprinted away and sent a low effort past Diogo Costa in Portugal’s goal to give Georgia, the tournament’s newcomers, the lead in the second minute.
Ronaldo, who was one of just three starting for Portugal and featured in their 3-0 victory over Turkey on Saturday, pushed and stretched for every ball in an attempt to break the record for the oldest goal scorer at a European championship at 39 years old.
However, Georgia attempted to catch Portugal on the break and defended as though their lives depended on it. After a VAR examination, Silva’s foul in the box in the 53rd minute exacerbated his earlier mistake and resulted in a penalty. After setting up Kvaratskhelia for the first goal early on, Mikautadze converted a penalty kick past Costa to take the lead in goals scored at Euro 2024 with three goals.
Match Highlights and Aftermath
After being penalized for arguing in the first half, Ronaldo appeared irritated when he was replaced and threw a water bottle. In his lengthy career, this is the first time he has failed to score in a major international competition during the group stage.
Giorgi Mamardashvili, the goalkeeper for Georgia, produced clutch saves late in the game to keep Portugal at bay. Following the conclusion of play, the players and coaching staff ran onto the field to jump and dance in front of their supporters. The festivities were richly merited. Georgia lost 3-1 to Turkey in their opening match had a wonderful opportunity to defeat the Czech Republic a few days later in a match that may have ended in a draw.