Julius OkorieGeorgia are hoping to pop up the volume after stunning Portugal with a brilliant 2-0 win to zoom into the round of 16 of this year’s Euro. They are hoping to win their first major tournament, even as they face hard nuts to crack Spain on Sunday.
Georgia’s task at kick-off was simple, beat Portugal and they would reach the next round. They did just that, setting up a meeting with Spain in Gelsenkirchen, on Sunday.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelWith first place in Group F already secured, Roberto Martinez made eight changes to his Portugal side, a factor that surely contributed to their disjointed display. Improvements will be needed when they face Slovenia in Frankfurt, on Monday.
Georgia had no such issues, scoring within two minutes when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia punished Antonio Silva’s error, racing onto Georges Mikautadze’s through ball and burying a finish beyond Diogo Costa.
Silva was at fault again for the second goal, catching Luka Lochoshvili in the area after more sloppy Portugal defending.
A penalty was given after a pitchside review, with Mikautadze converting to become the leading scorer at the tournament and capping arguably the greatest night in Georgian football history.
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Discounting own goals, there have already been seven. Georges Mikautadze is the top scorer at this summer’s tournament. Not many would have predicted that when Euro 2024 began almost two weeks ago.
The 23-year-old who was born in France, has now scored in each of Georgia’s three matches in Germany. He also claimed the assist for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s early strike that ultimately sank Portugal.
Six months ago, this tale would have barely been believable. Mikautadze’s move to Ajax had gone horribly wrong, as he made just three starts and failed to find the net during the first half of the season.
A loan back to former club, Metz was arranged in January. Mikautadze quickly rediscovered his form, scoring 12 times to ensure he arrived at Euro 2024 in peak condition.
The knock-out stages is here, and from Saturday the boys will begin to be separated from the men. Defending Champions Italy are still in the race and face Switzerland in one of the last 16 clashes in a match they have been tipped to win. The second match on Saturday will however be the crowd puller with hosts Germany facing formidable force Denmark.
Germany have had a jolly ride so far and it is yet to be seen whether they can continue the cruise against Denmark.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
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