Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s low shot past Diogo Costa in the final group stage game stunned Portugal, who had already won the group. The game ended before the two-minute mark. That goal, which set the tone for most of the remainder of the evening, came as Georgia overturned possession and hit Portugal on the break.
The underdogs didn’t need to be dominant to make their opportunities count; Georges Mikautadze’s penalty kick in the second half gave them even more momentum towards Georgia’s unexpected victory. Because Georgia was a formidable defence and space-closing team, they were happy to let Portugal have possession while they waited for their moment to threaten on the counter.
Georgia had few opportunities, but Portugal had few meaningful threats either; the underdogs held their shape admirably and made the Group F winners increasingly frustrated.
Georgia concluded their group stage in good form, but Portugal’s midfielders struggled to pass the ball in a way that accomplished anything more than increase their possession numbers. Cristiano Ronaldo lacked the service to make the difference in the final third.
Georgia achieved the greatest upset in the history of the Euros, according to Fifa rankings, by defeating Portugal, and they made their inaugural major tournament an unforgettable evening. In the round of 16, they will now play Spain, while Portugal will play Slovenia. Despite having the fewest possessions on average during the Euro qualifying tournament, Georgia managed to qualify and go to the finals. Despite not having possession versus Portugal, they fulfilled their obligations with elegance.
As Napoli won the championship in 2022–2023 Kvaratskhelia lit up Serie A, but he hasn’t reached the same heights since. He had had trouble making an impression in Germany prior to Wednesday’s game, but he rose to the occasion. Kvaratskhelia and Mikautadze, assigned by Georgia manager Willy Sagnol to occupy a high position on the pitch so they could be ready to attack Portugal when opportunity presented itself, succeeded in doing so early on, with the latter seizing a misdirected pass from Antonio Silva to set up a well-executed opener.
Euro 2024: Georgia defeated Portugal to create history and advance to their first major tournament knockout round.
