Georgia pulls off upset of Euro 2024 with Portugal win to advance

Georgia ranks 75th in the FIFA World Rankings to make it the lowest-ranked team among the 24 competing in Euro 2024. Yet, a remarkable 2-0 win against No. 6 Portugal shot Georgia into the round of 16. Even more impressive, this is Georgia’s first appearance in a major international tournament.

Based on its win over Portugal and Turkey’s win over Czechia, Georgia finished third in its group. That means it will play Spain, arguably the top team in the tournament so far, in the round of 16. Yet, that will not matter to Georgia following the biggest win in its history.

Georgia’s story of getting into the tournament represented something unbelievable for the nation. It finished fourth in its Euro qualifying group that featured Scotland and Spain. Yet, it earned a spot in the playoffs based on its success in the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League C, the third tier of the Nations League. For reference, that four-team group with Georgia consisted of Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Gibraltar. That provided Georgia with a chance. Georgia defeated Luxembourg in Tbilisi before a dramatic penalty shootout win over Greece.

Group F at Euro 2024 was by no means the strongest group. Regardless, Portugal is a contender. Turkey had fervent support with an underdog mentality. Czechia was a quarterfinalist at Euro 2020 with several in-form players. Georgia rode the playmaking ability of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and stellar performances out of goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili to stun some of the better teams in Euro 2024.

Georgia with the biggest upset of Euro 2024

With Kvaratskhelia scoring the eventual game-winning goal, Georgia secured the biggest upset in Euros history. Again, this calls back to the FIFA World Rankings. With a gap of 68 spots between Portugal and Georgia, there has never been a bigger disparity between a winning underdog. The previous record was set this year. Slovakia defeated No. 3 Belgium when it ranked 45th in the rankings. That upset pales in…

Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/uefa-euro/georgia-pulls-off-upset-of-euro-2024-with-portugal-win-to-advance/

Author : Kyle Fansler

Publish date : 2024-06-26 21:43:05

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