Aoba Tanaka 
In March, the streets of Tbilisi were alive with celebration as Georgia reached their first major tournament. Now, they’ve gone even further, advancing to the Euro 2024 knockout stage with a stunning 2-0 victory over Portugal.
This upset, against a team ranked 68 places above them in FIFA’s rankings, has written a new chapter in Georgia’s football history. Star player Khvicha Kvaratskhelia captured the magnitude of the achievement, declaring, “This is the best day in the lives of Georgians.” The Napoli forward celebrated by holding the shirt of Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo during his post-match news conference.
Portugal, led by manager Roberto Martinez, was left frustrated and outplayed. Martinez conceded that their opponents showed “incredible belief” and “deserved the credit.”
The post-match celebrations were euphoric, with players and supporters singing and dancing together. “Everyone is so happy, and we just made history. Nobody would believe that we would defeat Portugal,” Kvaratskhelia said. “We showed that the Georgian team can make it happen.”
Georgia’s journey to Euro 2024 began through the Nations League, where they beat Greece on penalties to secure their first tournament spot since gaining independence in 1992. Their victory over Portugal has now set up a last-16 tie against Spain.
“There was a similar experience to this back in March when Georgia qualified for the tournament – but this is bigger,” Georgian football journalist Dato Lobjanidze told BBC Radio 5 Live. “Tbilisi is not going to sleep tonight! There will be lots of celebrations in the streets; people are just shouting and screaming and being happy.”
Georgia’s determined performance limited Portugal to few clear-cut chances. Manager Willy Sagnol, the former France and Bayern Munich full-back, said, “When you’re the ‘small team’ in the competition, you know you have nothing to lose.”
Former Scotland and Chelsea winger Pat Nevin praised Georgia’s effort: “Your heart glows at how beautiful football can be sometimes. What a beautiful moment at full-time. They fought, they battled, they were technically superb. You would not want to play them in the next round.”
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