Georgia booked a spot within the final 16 of Euro 2024 of their debut look at a significant event, with a 2-0 win over Portugal on Wednesday within the greatest upset in European Championship historical past.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s early aim and a Georges Mikautadze penalty earned Georgia, ranked 74th within the FIFA rankings, the win over already-qualified Portugal, ranked sixth.
Slovakia’s (forty eighth) win over Belgium (third) earlier this event beforehand held the excellence for the largest upset by FIFA rankings.
The win, albeit in opposition to a largely second-string Portugal who had already made it into the following spherical, additionally represented the best outcome for Georgia because the nation gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Having come a disappointing fourth of their Euro qualifying group, Georgia needed to take a circuitous path to Germany, first by profitable their group within the much less glamorous UEFA Nations League event after which defeating Greece in a playoff.
However there was nothing undeserved about the way in which Coach Willy Sagnol, the previous Bayern Munich and France defender, and his aspect claimed a third-place end within the event’s Group F and arrange a last-16 assembly with three-time Euro winners Spain.
Georgia’s win additionally implies that England will line up in opposition to Slovakia, Romania tackle Netherlands and Portugal face Slovenia within the spherical of 16. Hungary, who had been in competition for a spot within the subsequent spherical, had been edged out.
The event debutants took the lead within the second minute when Kvaratskhelia, the Napoli winger, raced away after a careless move by António Silva and powered a low shot previous Diogo Costa in Portugal’s aim.
Cristiano Ronaldo — certainly one of solely three starters for Portugal who additionally performed of their 3-0 win over Turkey on Saturday — stretched and strained for each ball as he sought to turn out to be the oldest aim scorer at a Euro event on the age of 39.
However Georgia defended as if their lives depended upon it and sought to catch Portugal on the break. Within the 53rd minute, Silva compounded his earlier error by committing a foul within the field that was awarded a penalty after a VAR verify.
Mikautadze, who had offered the move for Kvaratskhelia to open the scoring early on, steered his spot kick previous Costa, making him the highest scorer at Euro 2024 to this point with three targets.
Ronaldo was booked within the first half for arguing and reduce a pissed off determine when he was substituted after the break, kicking out at a water bottle.
Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili made late saves to maintain Portugal at bay within the closing minutes, and at full time Georgia’s squad and training employees sprinted on to the sphere to rejoice in entrance of hundreds of their followers.
Data from Reuters and ESPN Stats & Data contributed to this report.