Participating in the finals for the first time
Ex-Bayern professional sends Georgia into EM ecstasy
March 26, 2024, 9:04 p.m
It is not a football treat that is on offer to those watching in Tbilisi. In the end, however, the Georgians celebrate in front of their home crowd: in the penalty shootout against Greece, the national team qualified for the European Championship finals for the first time.
Willy Sagnol fulfilled his dream of the European Championship in Germany with the Georgian national team after a penalty drama. The Georgians beat Greece 4-2 on penalties in the playoff final and secured their first ever participation in a major tournament. After 120 minutes the score was 0-0. Sagnol has been a coach in Georgia for three years, and this is the greatest success so far for the former FC Bayern crowd favorite.
Nika Kvekveskiri caused great emotions among 50,000 frenetic fans at the Boris Paichadze Stadium in Tbilisi with his converted penalty, with the majority storming the pitch after the final whistle. Georgia will play its first European Championship game against Turkey in Dortmund on June 18th. In addition, Portugal and the Czech Republic are the preliminary round opponents in Group F. Greece, European champions in 2004, missed their fifth European Championship.
In an extremely weak game, there were hardly any highlights to see for the spectators in the Georgian capital Tbilisi. Georgia’s superstar Khwitscha Kvarazchelia could hardly be staged either. Things only got heated once before the penalty shootout, when the referee suddenly handed out two red cards at halftime: one to Georgia’s substitute keeper Giorgi Loria and one to a Greek player who was probably not even in the squad. There had previously been an argument on the sidelines. Both teams shied away from taking risks. Only in extra time did things become more lively, including opportunities.
Sagnol had already announced before the game that he would resign as Georgia national coach after the European Championships. In the semi-finals, Georgia beat Luxembourg 2-0 thanks to two goals from Budu Zivzivadze from second division Karlsruher SC. Greece clearly defeated Kazakhstan (5-0).