Georgia faced Portugal, who were already guaranteed to finish first in Group F at the 2024 European Football Championship hosted by Germany, in the final game of Group F. Georgia won the match 2-0 at the Arena auf Schalke Stadium, finishing third in their best result in their first ever European Championship appearance and advancing to the next round.
After scoring early against a Portugal side made up mostly of players who had not played in the first two matches, Georgia doubled their lead in the second half with a penalty following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) warning. After opening Euro 2024 with a 3-1 loss to Turkey and being denied an opportunity by the officials to leave the group, Georgia went on to beat Portugal after a draw with the Czech Republic to progress to the round with four points. Portugal topped the group with six points.
It became the Mamaldashvili Oblast.
Georgia started the match with an early lead and continued to defend well to maintain their lead. After withstanding Portugal’s attacks, Georgia managed to go into the locker room with a 1-0 lead. Georgia started the second half better and earned a penalty to double their lead. Georgia denied their opponents any scoring chances in the remaining minutes and recorded a historic win over Portugal, one of the favorites to win the tournament.
Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamadashvili made a key contribution to the victory with his saves.
Key moments of the match
GOAL! Georgia took the lead in the second minute with a goal from Khvica Kvaratskheria. Taking advantage of a mispass in midfield, Khvica Kvaratskheria passed the ball to his friend Georges Michautadze. In a rapidly developing attack, Georges Michautadze again sent a through ball to his friend Khvica Kvaratskheria. The striker entered the penalty area diagonally on the left and fired a shot from the ground into the right corner.
In the 17th minute, Cristiano Ronaldo took a free kick from behind the penalty arc and aimed directly at the goal, but goalkeeper Giorgi Mamadashvili barely managed to deflect the ball over the goal.
In the 18th minute, Pedro Neto sent a cross to the right of the penalty spot after an attack from the left wing, and Diogo Dalot rose to head the loose ball, but it went just wide to the right of the goal.
In the 21st minute, Joao Felix sent a free kick from just behind the right corner of the penalty area towards the far post, and Antonio Silva headed the rebound, but it went just wide of the goal.
In the 23rd minute, Joao Parinha received the ball diagonally to the left of the penalty area and aimed directly at the goal, but goalkeeper Giorgi Mamadashvili managed to control the ball coming towards him.
In the 28th minute, Francisco Conceição received the ball diagonally to the right of the penalty area and took a shot without waiting, but the ball went wide to the right of the goal.
In the 30th minute, Joao Felix received the ball on the right side of the penalty area and fired a powerful shot, but the ball went wide to the right of the goal.
45+2 min Joao Felix entered the penalty area with the ball and fired a powerful shot, but goalkeeper Giorgi Mamadashvili slid it into the right corner of the goal, taking control of the area.
In the 47th minute, a corner kick from the left wing led to Ruben Neves sending a cross towards the front post. The ball bounced off the defence and fell in front of Cristiano Ronaldo, who was behind six passes. The striker didn’t wait long to shoot, but the ball bounced off the defence and just missed the goal.
In the 50th minute, Hvica Kvaratskera received the ball on the penalty spot and took a shot without waiting, but the ball hit goalkeeper Diogo Costa directly.
GOAL! 57′ Referee Sandro Schaller reviews the VAR. Luka Rokhoshvili enters the penalty area from the left but is stopped by Antonio Silva’s intervention. Referee Sandro Schaller reviews the position and makes the decision. Georges Michautadze takes the penalty and smashes the ball into the net from the right corner.
72nd minute: A sudden attack saw Giorgi Chakvetadze enter the penalty area and take a shot from an angle to the right, but the ball went just over the goal.
85th minute: Zhrikho Davitashvili received the ball diagonally to the left of the penalty area and fired a powerful shot, but it went just wide of the left side of the goal.
In the 90+1 minute, Joao Felix received the ball diagonally to the left outside the penalty area and sent a cross towards the far post, where Nelson Semedo moved in to shoot from close range, but goalkeeper Giorgi Mamadashvili did not allow the goal.
