Debutant Georgia Makes History as they progress to the next stage; Turkey Sends Home Czech Republic

Georgia 2-0 Portugal

In one of the most surprising results of Euro 2024, Georgia makes history by outperforming Portugal 2-0 to make it to the knockout stages. This was Georgia’s first time in a major tournament, and they were ranked 74th in the world. They took advantage of Portugal, who had already secured the top spot in Group F. 

Georgia scored in the second minute with a goal from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Georges Mikautadze added a second-half penalty. With a population of four million, Georgia celebrated their biggest win ever and earned a place in the last 16 to face Spain, while Portugal will play against Slovenia. Portugal’s coach, Roberto Martinez, made eight changes to his lineup, and the team was caught off guard as Georgia took the lead just 93 seconds into the game. 

Defender Antonio Silva made a poor pass that allowed Mikautadze to assist Kvaratskhelia for the opening goal. Despite dominating the game with lots of shots, Portugal couldn’t break through Georgia’s strong defense. 

Ronaldo’s swerving kick was saved, and Joao Felix narrowly missed. The decisive moment came before the hour mark when Silva’s mistake led to a penalty, which Mikautadze scored. Manager Willy Sagnol, Georgia held firm for the last 20 minutes and looked more likely to score again. In the end, they secured a historic win, even seeing out a tense stoppage-time period to maintain their lead.

Czech Republic 1-2 Turkey

Cenk Tosun scored in stoppage time, easing the tension and securing Turkey’s 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic, advancing them to the knockout stage of the European Championship. The Czechs were desperately trying to score a goal that would have seen them progress at Turkey’s expense. 

Tosun, coming off the bench, outmaneuvered two tired defenders and shot powerfully into the far post. “This is just the start,” Tosun remarked, expressing his happiness with the goal they had planned for just such a moment. The goal led to celebrations among the Turkey fans in Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion, but also sparked a commotion on the field. Czech player Tomas Chory received a red card, and captains Tomas Soucek and Turkey’s Arda Guler got yellow cards. 

Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs, who had previously sent off Czech midfielder Antonin Barak and issued a total of 18 yellow cards, had a challenging game. Barak was sent off for two tactical fouls, the second for stepping on Salih Ozcan’s foot. Czech manager Ivan Hasek later mentioned that Barak felt extremely guilty. 

With one man down, Turkey launched more attacks, causing big problems for the Czech defense, which missed their star player, Patrik Schick, due to injury. Schick’s frustration from the bench earned him a yellow card. 

Yildiz narrowly avoided a second yellow card after an incident involving Vladimir Coufal. Calhanoglu eventually broke the deadlock with a powerful low shot in the 51st minute. Czech goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek had to leave the game due to a shoulder injury, and backup Matej Kovar took his place. 

Soucek equalized in the 66th minute during a goalmouth scramble, but Tosun’s late goal dashed Czech hopes. Post-match, Soucek expressed his disappointment and mentioned the challenges of playing with one less player, extending thanks to his teammates for their efforts. The Czech Republic ended at the bottom of Group F, while Turkey, finishing second, will face Austria in Leipzig on July 2.