Georgia caused the largest upset in Euro history, defeating Portugal 2-0 on Wednesday to advance to the last round of their first major event, due to an early Khvicha Kvaratskhelia strike and a Georges Mikautadze penalty.
The triumph, albeit against a mainly second-string Portugal that had already advanced to the next round, was Georgia’s best result since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
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Played in front of tens of thousands of noisy Georgia fans, it was also the biggest surprise based on rankings, with the team ranked 74th in the world against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, who were ranked sixth and European champions in 2016. Reported By The Hindu.
After finishing fourth in their Euro qualification group, Georgia had to travel a long route to Germany, first winning their group in the less glamorous Euro Nations event and then overcoming Greece in a play-off.
But there was nothing unfair about the manner Coach Willy Sagnol, a former Bayern Munich and France defender, and his team finished third in Group F and advanced to the round of 16, where they will face three-time Euro winners Spain.
Spain defeated Georgia 7-1 in Tbilisi during the qualification round for the tournament in Germany last September.
second Group F match on Wednesday, Turkey defeated 10-man Czech Republic 2-1 to go to the round of 16, sending them home.
Georgia, making its tournament debut, seized the lead in the second minute when Kvaratskhelia, a Napoli winger, sprinted away after a bad pass by Antonio Silva and sent a low effort past Diogo Costa in the Portugal goal.
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