Heroic in its first major competition, Georgia finally surrendered on Sunday, against Spain (1-4). Valiant in the first half, where it bravely took its chances in counterattacks and opened the score thanks to an own goal by Robin Le Normand (18th), it then suffered the wrath of the Spanish who turned everything around after goals from Rodri (39th), Fabian Ruiz (51st), Nico Williams (75th) and Dani Olmo (83rd).
Willy Sagnol and the Georgians will still be able to leave with their heads held high: they exceeded all expectations by getting out of the group stage, notably by beating Portugal (2-0). Their dreams stop in Cologne, unlike those of the Spanish, who are a little more intense this evening, before challenging the host country, Germany, in the quarter-finals.
The match: 4-1
The Georgians believed in it when the joint top scorer of the Euro, Georges Mikautadze, launched Otar Kakabadze on the right wing. The full-back then crossed and caused the own goal of defender Robin Le Normand, pressed by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia behind him (18th). But the relentless Spanish machine did not doubt and, in the wake of an unstoppable Lamine Yamal, continued to set the pace. Rodri equalized with a superb dry strike from the edge of the penalty area (39th). Then, PSG midfielder Fabian Ruiz, with a header (51st), Nico Williams, with a shot under the bar (75th) and Dani Olmo, with a cross shot (83rd), allowed Luis De la Fuente’s team to fly away on the scoreboard.
Under the impetus of his Mikautadze-Kvaratskhelia doublet, the Georgians still tried to make the most of the counterattacks and the Naples striker was not far from scoring one of the goals of the tournament but his lob from the central circle failed next to the goal of goalkeeper Unai Simon, advanced and beaten (48th). But once ahead, Spain confiscated the ball, stifling Georgia, who no longer appeared dangerous in the rest of the second half, unable to come back to match their opponent.
The player: Yamal did very badly
The young 16-year-old right winger was one of the main detonators on the Spanish side. Striking and creative in undermining the Georgian block, Yamal was also decisive. He delivered a sublime cross for Fabian Ruiz (51st), which allowed La Roja to take the lead. He was not far from scoring on a direct free kick, pushed back by Giorgi Mamardachvili (50th) and then stumbled again against the Valencia goalkeeper at the end of the match (80th). Yamal also delivered his second assist of the competition. For a player under 20, this had not happened since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2004.
2+2
In three matches with Spain at Euro 2024, Fabian Ruiz has already delivered two goals and two assists. Only his evening opponent, Mikautadze, was involved in as many goals during the competition (three goals and an assist).
