Spain 4 -1 Georgia
Spain remain undefeated in Euro 2024 after thrashing Georgia 4-1 in Cologne. With this win, La Roja finally broke their Round of 16 curse and advanced to the quarterfinal, something the proud nation failed to do in their last three major tournament appearances.
With an undefeated record in the group stages, Spain were the heavy favourites for their knockout tie against Georgia, the first-timers. But it wasn’t a walk in the park for La Roja, not in the first half, at least.
Highlights
It was a pivotal game for both squads. Even though the Georgians were having quite the run in this edition of the European Championships, they were still the clear Euro 2024 odds underdogs against the spotless La Roja.
The five-goal bonanza didn’t come as a surprise, for this SBOTOP writer at least, as both outfits have shown capable firepower in the group stages. It was a textbook win for the Spaniards, but the opening goal was nothing but puzzling.
Georgia ripped the script in the first half, as Kakabadze made the most out of the space he was provided in the right wing. With a sea of red shirts in the middle, the 29-year-old took his chances and whipped a cross from the right. The ball bounced inside the box and went into the goal after hitting Spain’s centre-back, Robin Le Normand.
The own goal didn’t just put pressure on Spain, but it also marked their first-ever conceded goal in the tournament thus far. This was the first time Spain trailed in the entire tournament, and no one really knew how De la Fuente’s men would react in this situation. Instead of panicking, La Roja showed grace and relentlessness as they continued the pressure on Georgia’s first third, attempting attack after attack.
It was in minute 39 when Spain finally found the back of the net. With the ball dangerously pushed inside Georgia’s box, Spain had to maneuver around a bolstered Georgian defence. Nico Williams served the ball to Man City’s Rodri at the edge of the box, where the 28-year-old struck the ball into the goal after weaving its way through countless white shirts. Giorgi Mamardashvili had little to no chance of getting to the ball, forcing the Spaniards to level the match 1-1.
It was an action-packed first half, but De la Fuente must’ve said something in the La Roja dressing room during halftime, as the Spaniards reached for an extra gear in the second half and proceeded to mark their dominance in the game.
Spain showed why they were pristine during the group stages and played a masterclass of a second half against the Georgians. La Roja delivered three Euro 2024 highlights in the second half, starting with Fabian Ruiz’s header.
Yamal stood over the free kick attempt from outside of the box, but Mamardashvili came up big with a beautiful save. However, the Georgians failed to recuperate quickly enough as the ball found itself back in Spanish possession. Yamal lobbed a perfect ball into the middle of the fray, where only Fabian Ruiz could get it, and headed in what might’ve been the easiest goal in the entire tournament.
Now, with the lead, Spain decided to keep the pressure and crush Georgian hearts right there and then. Instead of parking the bus, De la Fuente’s men suffocated Georgia’s defences. They scored two more insurance goals on the scoreboard courtesy of Nico Williams in minute 75, and Dani Olmo in minute 83 to complete Spain’s 4-1 thrashing over Georgia.
Key Statistics
Despite their own goal, this was the Spaniards’ best offensive performance, topping their 3-0 masterclass against Croatia back in the group stages. Not really known for putting up big numbers on the scoreboard, this edition of La Roja are breaking the Spanish football stereotype and have become the team with the second-highest goal tally in the Euro 2024 thus far, second only to the host nation, Germany.
What’s next?
Georgia’s Cinderella run has come to an end. However, they have truly made a mark on this edition of the European Championships and could be considered as one of the elite clubs in Europe.
“Sometimes you need to take time to look at what you have done. We can be very happy. The evolution of the team has been absolutely fantastic,” said Georgia boss Willy Sagnol.
“I’m very proud of that. Now it’s the end of our journey but I’m sure the next one will be very exciting. I think all Georgians want one thing – and that is to come back.”
As for the Spaniards, they’ve booked a spot in the quarterfinals only to face off against the hosts Germany in Stuttgart. Expect fireworks for that one, as it’ll be the clash of what appears to be the two best teams in the Euros thus far.
“We’re very happy because we know what it takes to be here, that’s been shown by what the other teams have gone through,” De la Fuente told the media. “It will be a very balanced, even game and at this level, it will be the details that determine it for one team or the other. We have to keep working like we have been, and keep focusing on our strengths and keep improving — we are not perfect.” the 69-year-old reflected on their upcoming match against Germany.
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