TPO - Georgia got their first point at EURO 2024 thanks largely to Giorgi Mamardashvili, the goalkeeper who made 11 extraordinary saves, more than any other goalkeeper participating in EURO since 2004.
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For anyone, appearing on a big stage like EURO 2024 and being voted Man of the Match is an unparalleled pride. However, when holding the award in his hands after an extraordinary performance against the Czech Republic, Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili was still not happy. He was still thinking about what had happened and regretting the result.
“It was a really tough game but we should have won. My heart aches when I think about it,” said the 23-year-old goalkeeper.
Returning to the match in Group F, Mamardashvili's Georgia played with determination and took the lead in the first half's injury time. Unfortunately, 13 minutes into the second half, the Czech Republic found an equalizer when the ball hit the post, hit Patrik Schick and went into the net. It must also be said that if Saba Lobjanidze had been more careful, instead of hastily sending the ball over the bar in the 90+5 minute, the 3 points would have been in the hands of the EURO 2024 rookie.
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Mamardashvili was the best player of the match between Georgia and Czech Republic. |
But honestly, it was Georgia who were lucky to get a point, their first in European competition. In 90 minutes, the Czech Republic had 26 shots in total and an expected goals (xG) of 3.09. Of those, 12 were on target. No team has ever reached that number at the EUROs without winning.
It's not hard to explain why. The Czechs were unlucky to be in the Georgia goal when Mamardashvili stood. The young goalkeeper played brilliantly from the start, with two consecutive saves in the third minute, until the last seconds, when he controlled Matej Jurasek's shot in the 90+4 minute. In total, Mamardashvili made 11 saves, frustrating the Czech strikers. In the last 20 years at EURO, no goalkeeper has made so many saves.
This is not the first time Mamardashvili has played the hero role in Georgia. In late March, he saved a penalty in a shootout against Greece, helping the Caucasus nation qualify for the European Championship for the first time in its history.
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| Mamardashvili made a total of 11 saves, more than any other goalkeeper at EURO since 2004. |
That day in Mamardashvili's hometown, the Tbilisi N115 public school, where he studied as a child, also held a festival. Many students carried posters and slogans and gathered in large numbers on the school grounds, watching TV to cheer for Mamardashvili and his teammates. The children also heard from teachers about the most famous former students who became the pride of the school.
“Giorgi was a polite and calm boy,” said Venera Kakhabrishvili, Mamardashvili’s former teacher. “He knew from a young age that he would pursue football. Despite his thin frame, Giorgi had a strong will and once he set a goal, he pursued it with all his heart. Sometimes he would skip school because he had to play matches and practice day and night.”
Since Mamardashvili's father was a goalkeeper, it's no surprise that he also enjoyed playing in goal. However, due to his early spinal problems, few people believed he could play sports . Mamardashvili trained a lot, with the support of his father, and eventually became a real goalkeeper.
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| Mamardashvili was a skinny boy with problems with his spine. |
Later playing for Dinamo Tbilisi, Georgia's biggest club, and then moving to Valencia in Spain, Mamardashvili has always emphasized the influence of his family on his path to success. Although he describes himself as aloof, independent and sometimes lacking in self-confidence, whenever he faces a big decision, his parents are always there to help him make the right choice.
“I was afraid that going to Valencia would be a risk, but my father said that I had to try it,” Mamardashvili recalls. Now he is one of the most highly rated goalkeepers in La Liga, and there are even rumours that Real Madrid are interested in him. If that happens, it will be a dream come true for Mamardashvili.
As a goalkeeper, he idolizes Buffon but also admires Neuer and Casillas. However, his role model is Cristiano Ronaldo, the former Real player. “His hard work and professionalism are an example for me to follow,” said Mamardashvili.
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Mamardashvili is confident ahead of the final match against Portugal, even though they are the strongest team in Group F. |
In the final match of the group stage, he will face his idol when Georgia takes on Portugal. This is certainly a huge challenge for Mamardashvili and his teammates.
“They are a very strong team, but in football, anything is possible,” Mamardashvili said after the match against the Czech Republic. “We will play our way, with Georgian spirit and pride like we did in the last two games.”
Whatever happens in that match, Georgia will have made a good mark at EURO 2024. And Mamardashvili will become a name that many teams want, in addition to the cult of the Georgian people, including the students at Tbilisi public school N115.
Source: https://tienphong.vn/nhung-dieu-chua-biet-ve-giorgi-mamardashvili-nguoi-vua-lam-dieu-khong-thu-mon-noo-co-the-tai-euro-suot-20-nam-qua-post1648645.tpo
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