Euro 2024 witnessed a historic night as Georgia, in their debut appearance, shocked everyone by defeating Portugal 2-0 to reach the knockout stages. Turkey also booked their place in the last 16 with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Czech Republic.
Georgia’s Fairytale Continues
Ranked 74th in the world, Georgia pulled off a giant-killing act against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal (ranked 6th). Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s early strike and a Georges Mikautadze penalty secured a famous win for the underdogs.
This result marks Georgia’s greatest achievement since gaining independence in 1991. They will now face a much tougher test against Spain in the next round.
Portugal, having already qualified, fielded a weakened team. Despite Ronaldo’s presence, they were unable to break down a resolute Georgian defense.
This marks the first time Ronaldo has failed to score in the group stage of a major tournament. Portugal will face Slovenia in the round of 16.
Turkey Edges Past 10-Man Czech Republic
Turkey overcame a red card to Czech Republic’s Antonín Barák to secure a 2-1 victory. Hakan Çalhanoglu opened the score for Turkey.
Tomáš Soucek leveled the score for the Czechs.
Cenk Tosun scored the last-minute counter-аttаck goal to seal the win for Turkey.
This win erases the memories of a disappointing Euro 2020 campaign for Turkey. They will now take on Austria in the next round.