Roja makes a comeback for the quarterfinals

THE MATCH

Believing in it is sometimes not enough, but for Kvaratskhelia and his teammates, hanging on to the dream until the end is good for the heart and for football. But the ball can be cruel and doesn’t look at anyone, it doesn’t care about stimuli and dreams when there is a clear superiority on the pitch. And Spain, in this sense, leaves no escape for Georgia, which after having dreamed wakes up in the most abrupt way possible. Under the effect of the Furie Rosse’s persistent ball possession, capable of finding spaces with a pounding game on the flanks, coach Sagnol’s men bid farewell to Euro 2024 in the round of 16. A passage of the round, that of the Iberians, strongly deserved for what we have seen so far and for the beautiful football produced in Cologne, a victory put into question only by Le Normand’s own goal before returning to the chair in the game and in the score, with a remuntada in goleada that obliterates Georgia. A victory signed once again by its most beautiful jewels, Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams who started the comeback with assists and goals.

No surprises in the lineup on either side, with de la Fuente confirming the starting eleven and Sagnol fielding the same players who heroically knocked out Portugal to secure a place in the eighth-finals. Spain started aggressively, as widely expected on the eve, with the Roja dictating the pace with sudden accelerations and ball possession, while Georgia tried to close up like a hedgehog to leave no space. Mamardashvili knew that the evening in Cologne certainly couldn’t be marked by relaxation and was immediately called upon to make a providential intervention on a header from Carvajal following a corner. But it was on the first offensive sortie that Kvaratskhelia lit up, making the difference and giving Georgia the lead: in the 18th minute, the Napoli winger found Kakabadze on the right who raised his head, crossed to the centre towards Kvara who was however anticipated clumsily by Le Normand scores behind Unai Simon. First opportunity and goal for a lethal Georgia on the restart, with Cucurella allowing himself to be surprised on the wing by an intelligent and insistent play from the Neapolitan. A goal that hurts and requires the immediate reaction of de la Fuente’s men who immediately look towards Mamardashvili who doesn’t let Ruiz’s conclusion worry him, then it’s Pedri who tries to score without luck. The revs remain high and the Crociati do not lose their composure, on the contrary they are able to wait, close and start again, with another fast counterattack by Kvara from the left which almost gives them the double. In the 35th minute Cucurella attempted to give him a boost, but once again it was Mamardashvili who lowered the shutter. But in the 39th minute the Georgian goalkeeper can’t do anything about it Rodri’s surgical trajectory: insistent action from right to left by the Iberians, the ball arrives between the feet of the Citizens midfielder who launches a left-footed shot that leaves the goalkeeper with no chance for the equalizer. A goal that hurts coach Sagnol doubly, who in the action that led to Spain’s goal saw Kiteishvili collapse on the pitch due to physical problems which led him to be replaced in the 41st minute by Altunashvili.

The second half, which started with the same 22 that ended the first 45′, starts with the same plot as the first half, with Spain in possession and Georgia waiting. And in the 48th minute Kvaratskhelia came close to scoring a goal from the restart, with the Georgian winger seeing Unai Simon outside the posts by kicking from midfield, but luck favored La Roja. A scare of no small importance which in the 51st minute turns into a goal: after the long-range strike from a free kick by Yamal, the ball returns to the feet of the Spaniard who fishes in the center Fabian Ruiz who heads past Mamardashvili’s hands. A goal that doesn’t dampen Georgian ambitions, with coach Sagnol drawing fresh forces from the bench to give his team a boost. Tsitaishvili also comes on and in the 69th minute has the chance to equalise, with the Dinamo Batumi midfielder launched by an inspired Kvaratskhelia who finds him on the left, but the crooked left-footer ends up wide without troubling Unai Simon. In the 74th minute, Spain’s roar of joy for Gvelesiani’s own goal is shattered by Yamal’s offside warning, but it is only postponed for a few moments because in the 75th minute it was Nico Williams who set the score at 3-1: lethal restart on a throw from Ruiz, the 21-year-old aims at Gvelesiani going one-on-one with Mamardashvili and does not let go of his prayers to unload violently into the net. Georgia who is too easily discomposed under the blows of Spain who takes advantage and in the 83rd minute he scored the 4-1 with Olmo who left the Crociati from a cold distance for the final knockout.

REPORT CARDS

The Norman 5.5 – A bit like Calafiori in the match against the Red Furies, the Iberian defender also makes the right move to cover the center and at the same time finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. The attempt to anticipate Kvara turns into the most awkward of own goals
Rodri 6,5 – Guarantee in midfield for the coach de la Fuente, in the offensive phase he is lethal. The surgical left foot opens the comeback, then some mistakes risk leaving space for Georgia, but with physique and experience he manages to put a patch making the mistakes easily forgotten.
Ruiz 7 – Like Rodri, the PSG midfielder also always knows what to do with the ball and when he appears in the advanced area it is a sentence with two goals in four games.
Yamal 7 – Pure, crystalline talent, still chasing his first goal at Euro 2024, but always decisive. Mamardashvili closes the door on him, but when the ball passes through the feet of the Blaugrana it is pure magic and his teammates take advantage, ask Ruiz to believe it.
N. Williams 7 – In the first half he aims several times and then manages to get the measure of him, in the second half he makes fun of Gvelesiani with a lightning restart that gives Roja the calm goal.

Kakabadze 5,5 – Nico Williams is certainly not an easy client to deal with, but in the first half he manages to contain him after an initial study phase. Launched across the pitch by Kvara, he favored Le Normand’s own goal which he had deluded, in the second half Ruiz’s goal was lost to give La Roja the advantage.
Gvelesiani 5 – Orderly in the first half, then collapses in confusion on the forays down the wings. First he is saved by Yamal’s offside that caused the own goal, then he is skipped over like a skittle by Nico Williams for the goal that seals the knockout.
Kvaratskhelia 6 – He is the engine of this Georgia, with Sagnol relying on him to try to hurt Spain. It is no coincidence that at the first restart he leads Le Normand to an own goal, then in the second half he almost scores a goal worthy of the cinema. He does not lose heart and always tries to break the Iberian defensive line, he is the last to throw in the towel.
Don’t miss it 5,5 – Not the best of games for the Metz striker who lets himself be tempted too easily when he has the ball. Many plays pass through his area, but the 23-year-old is unable to be incisive, in fact he makes Kvara impatient several times only on the opposite side and never served.

THE SCOREBOARD

SPAIN-GEORGIA 4-1
Spain (4-3-3): Unai Simon 6; Carvajal 6,5 (36′ st Navas sv), Le Normand 5,5, Laporte 6, Cucurella 6 (21′ st Grimaldo 6); Pedri 6 (8′ st Olmo 6,5), Rodri 6,5, Ruiz 7 (36′ st Merino sv); Yamal 7, Morata 6 (22′ st Oyarzabal 6), N. Williams 7.
Available: Remiro, Raya, Nacho, Vivian, Baena, Zubimendi, Joselu, Ferran, Fermin Lopez, Perez.
Trainer: from the source 6.5
Georgia (5-3-2): Mamardashvili 6; Kakabadze 5,5, Kashia 5,5, Gvelesiani 5 (33′ st Kvekveskiri 5,5), Lochoshvili 6 (18′ st Tsitaishvili 5,5), Dvali 5,5; Kochorashvili 5,5, Kiteishvili 5,5 (41′ Altunashvili 5,5), Chakvetadze 5,5 (19′ st Davitashvili 5,5); Kvaratskhelia 6, Mikautadze 5,5 (34′ st Zivzivadze 5,5).
Available: Loria, Gugeshashvili, Kverkvelia, Kvilitaia, Gocholeishvili, Shengelia, Lobjanidze, Tabidze, Sigua.
Trainer: Sagnol 5,5
Referee: Letexier (Francia)
Markers: 18′ aut. Le Normand (G), 39′ Rodri (S), 6′ st Ruiz (S), 30′ st N. Williams (S), 38′ st Olmo (S)
Warned: Morata (S), Davitashvili (G)
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