Georgia registered their greatest-ever victory and one of the biggest upsets of the ongoing 2024 European Championship after stunning Portugal 2-0 in their final Group F game at the Arena AufSchalke on Thursday, June 27 (Philippine Standard Time).
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Georges Mikautadze scored for Georgia, giving them their first win of the tournament in their maiden appearance in the European Championship. The victory also meant that they qualified for the round-of-16 stage, where they will face Spain.
Georgia’s hero and best player, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, left the pitch with Cristiano Ronaldo’s jersey after the game, revealing that the pre-match talk from his idol provided the inspiration for him to give it his all against Portugal.
“I got Ronaldo’s jersey and we have made it through to the next round. This is the best day in the lives of Georgian football fans. We have made history, no one would believe we would make it happen,” Kvaratskhelia said in a post match press conference.
¡LA DE SU ÍDOLO! 🥹👕
— FAN10 (@SoyFan10) June 26, 2024
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia se quedó con el jersey de Cristiano Ronaldo tras el Georgia-Portugal. El mayor ídolo del georgiano y del mundo entero.
EL PUEBLO ELIGIÓ A SU GOAT. 🐐❤️ pic.twitter.com/h6kb111aKJ
“Before the match there was a meeting with Ronaldo and he wished me success; I would never have imagined he would come and talk to me. He is a great player and a great person. That’s why he is a great personality in and out of football. I have so much respect for him, he is one of the best players in the world.
“When he comes to talk to you before the match, that’s amazing. That helped us believe we could do something today,” he added.
Ronaldo, for his part, endured a frustrating night and lasted 65 minutes before being substituted. The 39-year-old failed to find the back of the net in the group stage, meaning that his remarkable run of scoring in the group phase of every major tournament since his debut appearance at Euro 2004 came to an end.
It’s also worth noting that manager Roberto Martinez fielded a weakened Portugal team on the night, opting to rest star players Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, and Ruben Dias.
Portugal will face Slovenia in the round-of-16 phase, while Georgia take on Spain.
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