Stars Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Georges Mikautadze, the only two in the squad, knocked out a Portuguese ogre by feasting on the rare offensive crumbs. The Naples winger and the Metz striker took advantage of the blunders made by young defender Antonio Silva, guilty of a bad back pass on the opening score and a penalty on the second goal. Mikautadze sent the ball at the right tempo and the right space to “Kvara” who scored with a cross shot from the left after one minute and thirty seconds (2nd, 1-0). The Neapolitan, superstar of his selection at 23, celebrated his goal with a slide on his knees like Ronaldo, his idol, in front of the turn of his supporters, white hot, like the color of their jersey.
Cristiano Ronaldo in colère
The defense held firm until half-time, despite Portugal’s 70% possession and eleven shots (including 3 on target). It took a vigilant goalkeeper to repel a distant and powerful free kick from Ronaldo (16th), recorded 130 km away, a brushed shot from Joao Palhinha (23rd), an attempt from Joao Félix (45th + 1) and a firecracker from Diogo Dalot (90th+3).
In this duel between the novice Georgia (74th in the FIFA rankings) and the regular Portuguese (6th in the FIFA rankings), a sort of David and Goliath of football, the K-0 came from the underdog. Antonio Silva put his foot in opposition in front of Luka Lochoshvili, a fault detected by the VAR and exploited on the penalty spot by Mikautadze, with a cold-blooded shot close to the post (57th, 2-0).
Ronaldo had the bad days: he called for a penalty for a shirt pulling, in vain, collecting a warning in the process, he stamped on the pitch in spite of a missed opportunity and was replaced, furious, after the hour of play. The former glory of Real Madrid, a rare Portuguese starter lined up on Wednesday, will have five days to vent his frustration. The Seleçao, 2016 European champion, is expected on July 1 in Frankfurt against Slovenia for the rest of the adventures.
That of Frenchman Willy Sagnol, appointed in February 2021, turned into a fairy tale with Georgia, which he qualified for the first time in an international competition, via the play-offs. “Being here is already a victory,” the 47-year-old Frenchman said the day before, convinced that his team has “the level” to participate in the great celebration of European football. Its players play in Watford, Levante, Graz, Metz, Krakow or Nicosia, for example, but they demonstrated their value against a supercharged Turkey team (3-1 defeat), against the Czech Republic (1-1) and against Portugal.
