The match between Spain and Georgia is the match between the two teams with the biggest FIFA ranking difference in the round of 16 of EURO 2024 (66 places).
However, Georgia, who beat Portugal and drew with the Czech Republic, cannot be underestimated. Their defensive counter-attacking style, based on the speedy ball movement of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Georges Mikautadze, has made Georgia very good at "damaging", especially against teams that play attacking football.
Georgia (white shirt) opened the score
Facing a strong attacking opponent like Spain, Georgia chose to play a style of play that knew themselves and their opponents. Willy Sagnol's players defended well and endured the pressure, against the extremely fast and skillful attacks of Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal.
After escaping the storm thanks to the talent of goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili and his aggressive style of play, Georgia unexpectedly opened the scoring in the 18th minute. From a very quick counter-attack, the ball was sent from the left wing into the penalty area, before Robin Le Normand accidentally scored an own goal in an attempt to get back to block. It was hard to blame the Spanish defender, because if he had not scored an own goal, Kvaratskhelia would have likely scored when they were in such a favorable position.
Spain, however, are different to Portugal. Luis de la Fuente's team have more attacking options and are more motivated in a do-or-die match.
After the suffocating pressure created, along with missed opportunities such as Marc Cucurella's long-range shot or Dani Carvajal's dangerous header, Spain had an equalizer. In the 39th minute, Nico Williams passed the ball conveniently for Rodri to shoot extremely dangerously from a distance with his left foot, giving goalkeeper Mamardashvili no chance to save.
Spain won convincingly
This was the turning point that turned the game around for Spain. Georgia's counter-attacking weapons were neutralized when both Kvaratskhelia and Mikautadze could not overcome Spain's tight defense. Meanwhile, with their diverse attacking capabilities, the team nicknamed "La Furia Roja" surrounded Georgia from all sides.
In the 51st minute, Yamal crossed the ball perfectly for Fabian Ruiz to break the offside trap, run down and head the ball close to the goal to increase the score to 2-1. The gap continued to widen in the 75th minute when Nico Williams dribbled through Georgia's left wing, then curled the ball into the top of goalkeeper Mamardashvili's net. The 4-1 victory was sealed in the 83rd minute with a left-footed shot from Dani Olmo, who came off the bench in the second half.
Spain beat Georgia 4-1 to enter the quarter-finals of EURO 2024. Coach De la Fuente's team will face host Germany.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vui-dap-georgia-tay-ban-nha-hen-duc-o-tu-ket-euro-2024-185240701035018147.htm
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