The Spanish gave themselves a scare at the start of the match, but they are continuing their journey in this Euro 2024 in style. Led by the Georgians at the start of the match, La Roja managed to reverse the trend on Sunday, June 30, in Cologne, thanks to an offensive festival from its young talents.
Luis de la Fuente’s men will have a lot to do since they will meet Germany in the next round. This “shock” of the quarter-finals will take place on Friday July 5, at 6 p.m., in Stuttgart.
The adventure ends, however, for Willy Sagnol’s Crusaders. For their first participation in a European Nations Championship, the Georgians made their country dream by qualifying for the round of 16 thanks to a victory against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal (2-0).
What you must remember
The 21-year-old Spaniard put the Georgian defense through hell. He was untenable and was very fair both in his passes and in his shots. It was he who delivered a decisive pass to Rodri for the Spanish equalizer and who scored the break goal a quarter of an hour from the end.
0-1, 18e : For the first time in the game, the Georgians exceed their half of the field. Otar Kakabadze accelerates on his left side and crosses towards Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. But it is the Spanish defender Robin Le Normand who is at the reception and who unfortunately deceives his goalkeeper from the hip.
1-1, 39e : On the left side, young Nico Williams waits and finds Rodri behind. And as is often the case, the Manchester City midfielder makes no mistake on the edge of the area: with a subtle left-footed strike, he beats Giorgi Mamardashvili, who had been impenetrable until then.
2-1, 51e : Following a free kick, Lamine Yamal found himself on the right side and adjusted a perfect cross to the far post for Fabian Ruiz, who, with a header, left no chance for the Georgian goalkeeper.
3-1, 75e : Launched to the limit of offside by Fabian Ruiz, Nico Williams escapes, fixes the Georgian defender, eliminates him, and sends a heavy strike under the bar of Giorgi Mamardashvili, once again powerless.
4-1, 83e : Entered at 52e minute of play, Dani Olmo concludes his good performance with a fine goal. His devastating right foot control directly eliminates Lasha Dvali, and he adjusts the goalkeeper with a precise left foot strike.
Like the number of own goals (CSC) scored in the competition. The CSC largely steals the show from the competition’s scorers, because the real ranking of the tournament’s top scorers is dominated by Georges Mikautadze, Jamal Musiala, and Ivan Schranz with… 3 goals each.
“We leave this Euro with our heads held high because we are proud of what we have done here,” reacted Georgian striker Georges Mikautadze at the microphone of BeIN Sports.
A very enjoyable match to watch. Georgia’s opening goal, against the run of play, totally thrilled the game. The Spanish tried everything to get back into the game quickly, and the Georgians had numerous counter-attacks to score a second goal. It went in all directions for 90 minutes.
