Georgia 2-0 Portugal: Kvaratskhelia inspires stunning victory as England learn next opponents

Arguably the finest evening in Georgia’s sporting history saw Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Georges Mikautadze find the back of the net to hand the EURO2024 minnows victory over Portugal in Gelsenkirchen.

Kvaratskhelia needed just two minutes to open the scoring at the Arena AufSchalke – and to their credit, Willy Sagnol’s men did not sit on that lead and park the bus. They went toe-to-toe with a side that won this very competition eight years ago, nabbing a second goal from the penalty spot through Mikautadze.

Georgia will face Spain in Köln on Sunday, with the result also confirming that England’s round-of-16 opponents will be Slovakia.

As it happened

Georgia wasted no time in getting their show on the road, given that they knew they’d need to muster a victory against the Seleção das Quinas to progress as one of the best third-placed teams.

Less than two minutes had elapsed when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia slotted home the opener, having been played through on goal by Georges Mikautadze following Portugal’s loss of possession in midfield.

(Photo by Angel Martinez – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

Georgia were by no means the dominant force in the first half, and were perhaps lucky to head into the interval with their lead still intact – but they did, spurred on by an incredible travelling support and the remainder of the four million Georgians back home.

Kvaratskhelia – or Kvaradona as he is affectionately known by fans – had joked in the pre-match press conference that he was hoping to secure Cristiano Ronaldo’s shirt come the full-time whistle in Gelsenkirchen.

Yet instead, it was Kvaratskhelia’s shirt that was in the highest demand in Gelsenkirchen: the six-time Ballon d’Or winner paled in comparison to the Napoli forward on the night and was best noticed for his dissent booking, or perhaps his outburst of anger following his second-half withdrawal.

He would not be the only hero on the night though, with another legend writing their name into Georgian folklore: Georges Mikautadze. Already boasting an assist to his name after teeing up Kvaratskhelia’s opener, the Metz star slotted home from the penalty spot following a VAR check that saw the referee overturn his initial on-field decision to let play continue.

When the final whistle sounded at the Arena AufSchalke, the scenes were those of pure jubilation. Back home in Tbilisi, fans spilled out of bars and restaurants and into the streets – the Crusaders had done it. This is a Georgia side that needed the playoffs to reach EURO2024, and now, just three months on, Willy Sagnol’s men will face Spain in the knockout stages of their first major tournament.