Faced with the Portuguese assured of finishing first in their group, the Georgians won 2-0 on Wednesday in Gelsenkirchen, at the same time snatching their place in the eighth.
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A victory for history. Winners of Portugal (2-0), Wednesday June 26 in Gelsenkirchen, for their last group match, Willy Sagnol’s Georgians qualified for the round of 16 of the Euro, taking third place in group F, behind Portugal and Turkey. A first for the Caucasian country which is participating in its first international competition.
Facing a completely overhauled Portuguese team (with the exception of Cristiano Ronaldo) and already assured of finishing at the top of Group F, Georges Mikautadze’s teammates were dominated throughout the match. But if the Lusitanians did not manage to find the target despite numerous opportunities (28th, 30th, 43rd, 47th), the Georgians were very effective, opening the score in the 2nd minute with a cross strike from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia after an error from Antonio Silva, before making the break on a penalty thanks to Georges Mikautadze (56th).
Excellent on the counterattacks, the Georgians could have added to the score like the overly crushed shot from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (50th) or the off-target shot from Otar Kakabadze (72nd). The Portuguese never stopped pushing, but faltered in finishing (5 shots on target out of 22 attempts). Gonçalo Ramos, who replaced Cristiano Ronaldo in the 66th minute, changed nothing.
By finishing at the top of Group F, Portugal will meet Slovenia in the round of 16 on July 1 at 9 p.m. Georgia will face Spain on Sunday June 30 at 9 p.m.
