The Group Stage of Euros 2024 ended with the third round of matches in Group F being played last night. And staying true to the competition’s theme of providing surprises, footballing fans had another surprise awaiting them. Georgia’s talisman, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, way back in 2013 used to play at the Dinamo Tbilisi Academy in Georgia, when he was just a 12-year-old. Cristiano Ronaldo, back then who was at the peak of his prowess had visited the football academy and also inaugurated it in Georgia. That was the first time Khvicha Kvaratskhelia met his Idol Cristiano Ronaldo.
11 years later, the Georgian winger is the primary reason for Portugal’s loss against Georgia in the last group stage match. In just the 2nd minute of the game “Kvaradona” as his fans fondly call him, slotted the ball past Costa to score Georgia’s first of the game. All night Kvaratskhelia terrorized the Portugal defenders with his darting runs and impressive dribbling whenever the opportunity presented itself. While Georgia’s number 7 was running havoc, the same cannot be said of Portugal’s number 7. Cristiano Ronaldo felt like a dissociated figure on top of the Portugal Lineup. With almost the whole squad being rotated for this game by Roberto Martinez, it felt like it was foreign territory for every player on the pitch. The cohesiveness required by teams to win the games was missing throughout the 90 minutes. Almost all chances for Portugal were long shots from 25-35 yards from goal. While nothing is wrong with that, it showed Portugal’s inability to break through the resolute Georgian defence. The second goal of the game came after Antonia Silva, whose Market Value will be taking a massive hit after the Georgia match, gave a penalty to Georgia. Which was then put into the back of the net by the Metz striker and Euros 2024 top scorer Georges Mikautadze. The Portuguese defender, Antonio Silva was also responsible for giving possession away which led to Georgia’s first goal.
Should Ronaldo have been benched?
Yes. Why play Cristiano Ronaldo when almost all the players on the Original starting 11 have been benched and rested? There is only one explanation. That Ronaldo providing goals/assists is very crucial for Portugal going forward, and that is what Roberto Martinez thinks. When asked about Ronaldo before the Georgia game, Head Coach Martinez talked about providing him with continuity. In the first match, Ronaldo had a good outing but no assists/goals. In the second match, he added an assist to his tally. The message was clear, Martinez wanted Ronaldo to start scoring against an easier opposition like Georgia before the knockout phase started. But this move didn’t work out as neither did Ronaldo score nor was Georgia easy.
Praise for Georgia
While Portugal might have fielded a weaker team, nothing should be taken away from Georgia. A nation that not long ago was ranked 94th in the world, and just to give everyone an estimate, India was ranked 97th around the same time. From being there to defeating a Portugal side who were being reckoned as favourites at the start of the tournament is no mean feat. And Georgia has successfully done that. With the 3rd place rankings in Euros, Georgia has qualified for the Ro16 and will face Spain next. Can they pull off another miracle?
