Index – Football – UEFA Euro 2024

If it was possible to say before the Spain-Georgia round of 16 match that the strongest and weakest teams in the competition met in Cologne on Sunday night, then we have definitely found the exact marker for this match. The Spaniards advanced with the most convincing performance in the group stage, winning three games without conceding a goal, while European newcomers Georgia advanced to the round of 16 after a wonderful win over Portugal in the last round. Judging from the initial chances, the most one-sided round of 16 awaits us.

Spain rushed to the Georgian goal right after the kick-off, cutting in from the left and passing the ball in front of Morata. However, the ball remained in the hands of the Spaniards and Fabian Ruiz tried to shoot from the middle of the box, but his shot was blocked. Spain’s attack did not stop there, the attack was built on the right wing, and then Carvajal passed the ball and Pedri was able to slide in and shoot the ball directly towards the goal. Mamardashvili was easily protected. However, in the 10th minute, the Georgian goalkeeper needed a greater feat: after Nico Williams took a corner kick from the left, Mamardashvili made a wonderful save from five meters away to save Carvajal’s header.

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Gallery: Spain Georgia 06/30/2024Photo: Edith Geuppert – GES Sportfoto / Getty Images Hungary

But it was at this point that the Spaniards were hit with a cold shower: defensive slippage, poor communication, and the Georgians crossed the halfway line for the first time to take the lead! Mikautadze controlled the ball brilliantly, launching Kakabuze on the right wing, who arced perfectly towards the middle, the ball bouncing off the thigh of Lenormand, who was trying to save Kvarachelia, and into his own goal. 0–1It is worth mentioning that this is the first goal scored by the Spanish national team in the intercontinental championship.

After Georgia took the lead, the Spaniards continued to attack: Mamardashvili blocked Fabian Ruiz’s shot from the bottom left corner this time. After that, Pedri could shoot from the edge of the penalty area, 18 meters from the center, but he hit the ball badly and didn’t need Mamardashvili this time. At the same time, you have to pay close attention to Georgia’s counterattack, because as soon as they got the ball, they attacked wildly and put the Spanish defense in trouble. We saw a wonderful game.

As the first half drew to a close, Spain’s advantage on the field grew, and Georgia finally couldn’t hold on: in the 38th minute, Nico Williams got the ball and shot from 14 meters away, but Mamardasvili saved it.

At this point, the two teams retired in a tie. The first half was fast-paced and we were just scratching our heads, with many situations and chances – mostly in front of the Spaniards – but the Georgians’ hope was still there.

In the second half, the Spaniard was immediately in position within seconds: after Morata’s corner kick, Fabian Ruiz’s shot went over the goal.

Then a complicated situation arose in front of the other goal: the Georgian lightning attacker Kvarachelia perfectly recognized the situation and after taking possession of the ball, he noticed from his own half that Unai Simón was standing outside his goal, he lifted the ball from his half, but it landed just outside the goal area, which would have been a huge goal. After that, on the other side, Lamine Yamal was brought down in the penalty area, the dangerous free kick was taken by the victim himself, but Mamaldasvili pushed the ball away.

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Gallery: Spain Georgia 06/30/2024Photo: Ryan Pierse – UEFA/Getty Images Hungary

In the 51st minute, after Mamardashvili blocked Lamiamar’s free kick, the Spaniard got the ball.

After Spain’s second goal, the Spaniards continued to attack and Lamine Yamal could have scored immediately, but his shot from 17 meters went wide. Georgia barely had the ball, so the Spanish national team maintained the one-goal advantage very easily.

In the 66th minute, Lamin Yamal received the ball in front of the Georgian goal, and the Georgian lost the game with an irresponsible pass. Kocholasvili was careless, and Yamal immediately shot from the penalty area, the middle, but the ball went wide of the goal. The right position. Missed a big scene. A few minutes passed, and the Georgian’s game did not show that they could bring another turnaround to the game. The game entered the last minute, and the Georgian team got a chance. Zitaishvili received the ball from the left wing, broke into the penalty area, and then shot into the side net. This was soon punished by the Spaniards: Fabian Ruiz made a beautiful start in his own half, Nico Williams controlled the ball, deceived Gvelezziani, and then blasted the crossbar from 11 meters away. 3-1!

And the goal streak wasn’t over yet: the Georgians were becoming increasingly distracted and they weren’t as quick to attack the Spanish attackers, something Dani Olmo took advantage of by sending two defenders away with some physical skill before calmly firing into the bottom right corner. 4–1so there is a rash. At the end of the day, this reality is between the two teams, with Spain having a three or four goal lead.

There were no more noteworthy events in the rest of the regular time, the Spanish national team captain slowly replaced the main players, and the game ended after three minutes of overtime. They did scare the Spaniards, but then the strength gap between the two teams was exposed, so the Spanish national team can prepare for the quarter-final against Germany.

The European Championship will continue on Monday with two round of 16 matches, France and Belgium starting at 18:00 and Portugal and Slovenia at 21:00.

2024 European Championships, Round of 16

• Spain-Georgia 4-1 (1-1)

Scorers: Rodri (38), Ruiz (51), Nico Williams (75), Dani Olmo (82). and Le Normand’s own goal (18.)

(Cover photo: Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters)

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