FC Bayern also plays a role
The underdog dreams of even more football magic
By Emmanuel Schneider
18.06.2024, 12:27
Georgia starts the European Championship tournament as a clear underdog. But the team has already had its greatest success. A former Bayern star, two ex-Bundesliga pros and a once-in-a-century talent are all involved.
Football is sometimes not so easy: can you compete in the European Championships if you have only won two games in the European Championship qualifiers? Georgia can. And now it gets a little more complicated: coach Willy Sagnol’s team only finished fourth in their qualifying group with eight points, behind Spain, Scotland and Norway, but rewarded themselves indirectly for their success in Nations League Group C4 from the 22/23 season. The triumph in the once much-criticized Nations League gave the team the playoffs in the fight for another European Championship ticket.
In a four-team tournament, Georgia first beat Luxembourg (2:0) and then the favorites Greece in the decisive match. After a 0:0 draw, the match went to a penalty shootout in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, which Georgia won 4:2.
“Almost fainted with joy”
After the decisive penalty, the dams in the stadium broke. It was a magical night for the country, whose population, according to surveys, is pushing towards the EU. “Without exaggeration: this feeling is worth living for,” said association vice-president Alexander Iashvili to the magazine “11 Freunde” about this football evening. “I almost fainted with joy,” reported captain Guram Kashia.
This is by no means an ordinary success. It is historic. For the first time ever, the small country with only 3.7 million inhabitants has qualified for a major tournament. After 14 previous unsuccessful attempts. Now there is European Championship euphoria in the South Caucasus. But the starting position is clear: Georgia is probably the biggest outsider in this tournament.
One of the fathers of the team’s success and perhaps even the team’s biggest star is coach Willy Sagnol. A Bayern icon who once won the Champions League in Munich and was German champion five times. As a coach, however, he was still denied greater success. After initial stints in the French association and at Girondins Bordeaux, he returned to FC Bayern and worked as Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant. The Italian’s term of office ended early and so Sagnol, who was at least allowed to coach one game as interim coach, had to leave again. In 2021, the Frenchman was hired by the Georgian association. And perhaps this surprise transfer was the best thing that could have happened to both Sagnol and the national team.
The coup with Willy Sagnol
He was hired by the two strong men in the association – old Bundesliga acquaintances and friends. Levan Kobiashvili (formerly of SC Freiburg, FC Schalke and Hertha BSC) has been president since 2015, and one year later, ex-Freiburg player Alexander Iashvili followed as his deputy.
Strangely enough, Sagnol’s time in office got off to a really bad start. In the first nine games, there were seven defeats and just one win. He and his new team also missed out on the first World Cup qualification for the tournament in Qatar. But patience paid off. Sagnol now has a record of 17 wins, 12 defeats and five draws.
And after the big surprise in the playoffs, no one is talking about the mediocre results in the European Championship qualifiers, where there was a record defeat against Spain (1:7) and only two wins against Cyprus. No problem.
Only a few players stand out from the squad. In contrast to the past, there is only one Bundesliga legionnaire. Budu Zivzivadze, goal scorer in the playoff semi-final, plays in Baden, just like the former Bundesliga players Kobiashvili and Iasvhili, but a few kilometers north of Freiburg in Karlsruhe. The 30-year-old is a fixture at KSC, scoring twelve goals in the 2nd Bundesliga last season.
Kvaradona shoulders the hopes
Even more accurate in the national team is a man who is revered in the cult place of Diego Maradona. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is Georgia’s greatest talent – perhaps already the greatest Georgian player of all time. Via Dinamo Tbilisi and stints in Russia, he landed in Naples in 2022 and hit the ground running. Since his name is difficult to pronounce, not only for Italian tongues, a catchy nickname was quickly found: Kvaradona: It’s simpler and immediately brings the comparison to the city’s greatest foster son to the point.
And the attacker, who can finish with both his left and right, delivered. In 2022/23, the left winger scored 13 goals for Napoli, but also repeatedly set up his colleagues and collected 12 assists, being voted player of the Serie A season. SSC Napoli celebrated the surprise title (the first since Maradona’s days) and Kvaradona played a big part in that. Although the Sky Blues fell sharply last season and only finished tenth, Kvaratskhelia once again showed his great potential with eleven goals and eight assists.
He is undoubtedly the national team’s greatest hope, having scored 15 goals. One number underlines the 23-year-old’s exceptional status. According to the relevant portal, the squad’s market value is 161 million euros, while Kvaratskhelia alone is worth 80 million euros – almost half. Most eyes will be on him at the start.
European Championship debut in the cauldron
The “Dschwarosnebi” start the tournament with a difficult task. On Tuesday evening (6 p.m./ RTL, MagentaTV and in the live ticker on ntv.de) A heated away atmosphere awaits at the European Championship debut against Turkey. Thousands of Turkish fans will almost certainly turn the stadium in Dortmund into a cauldron. There are easier games. In the group with the Czech Republic, Turkey and favorite Portugal, Georgia will, as far as humanly possible, be eliminated after the preliminary round. Anything else would be an even bigger surprise than the qualification itself.
Or does Sagnol’s team have the potential to scare the favorites? Probably not. But they don’t have to. The magic has already happened. The success against Greece, the first qualification, is sensational enough. Every game, every goal, every point at this European Championship in Germany is actually just a bonus. Nevertheless, they want to prove something to everyone again. Captain and record player Kashia is setting the tone. “We will fight like never before. We want to show that we deserve to be here.”