NOS Voetbal•gisteren, 23:02
View the summary of Georgia-Portugal
Georgia has reached the eighth finals of the European Football Championship thanks to a surprising victory over Portugal (2-0). The modest football country finishes third in group F and is also one of the four best numbers three.
The Georgians are now preparing for a confrontation with three-time European champions Spain on Sunday, June 30 at 9 p.m.
NOSThe final score in group F
With the group win in hand, the Portuguese appeared at the kick-off in Gelsenkirchen with no fewer than eight new players. Only captain Cristiano Ronaldo, goalkeeper Diogo Costa and midfielder João Palhinha retained their starting place compared to the second group match with Turkey (3-0).
Portugal with B team
The Portuguese B-team turned out to be no match for the fighting spirit of the Georgians, who played an intense match led by star Khvitsja Kvaratschelia.
The Napoli forward put the European Championship debutant ahead after just two minutes with a diagonal shot. Portuguese defender António Silva clumsily lost the ball to Georges Mikautadze in midfield, who then set Kvaratschelia free in front of the keeper.
Portugal counter-attacked and had chances through Ronaldo (free kick and shot from second line) and Francisco Conceição, but goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili was alert.
ReutersCristiano Ronaldo is disappointed that he is being substituted in the match against Georgia
Georgia certainly did not crawl into its shell and remained dangerous under Kvaratschelia’s impulses. Meanwhile, dissatisfaction was growing in Portugal. Ronaldo received a yellow card for complaining at referee Sandro Scharer, while Pedro Neto saw a yellow card for a foul.
Neto’s punishment was already the third yellow card for Portugal at this European Championship for a foul. The previous two yellow cards came from Rafael Leão, who served a suspension in Gelsenkirchen for that reason.
Penalty
In the second half, Georgia remained proud and Mikautadze made it 2-0 from the penalty spot in the 57th minute.
The Portuguese Antonio Silva once again played a negative role by fouling Otar Kiteishvili in the box, who eagerly went down and was rewarded with a penalty.
ReutersGeorges Mikautadze celebrates his 2-0 for Georgia
Portugal kept trying and offered Georgia plenty of room for counters by pushing forward. From such a counter-punch, Kiteishvili sent away Giorgi Chakvetadze, who missed the chance to make it 3-0 with a hasty swipe. Zueriko Davitashvili, who had just come on, shot into the side netting.
The lack of goals could of course not spoil the Georgian celebration.
