On the outskirts of Velbert, a plain town south of the Ruhr renowned for manufacturing locks and hinges, something remarkable is stirring. Georgia are preparing for the biggest game in their country’s history, getting acquainted with their newfound fame as everyone’s favourite underdog.
The IMS Arena, home to the local fifth-tier side, is off Industriestrasse, an iron foundry and recycling centre in view from the main stand as Willy Sagnol runs through a passing drill. “Short and intense,” he stresses, and those who have admired Georgia attack their first major tournament know the latter is them down to a T.
Everywhere you look there are decals of their crest: the figure of St George slaying a dragon, their national symbol. There are tall red-and-white flags to enhance the homely feel but this group have made an impression far beyond Batumi. Georgia have made an almighty splash despite only taking over this speck of Germany.
The buzz words around the camp are “no fear” but a last-16 date with Spain represents their biggest test yet. Spain have been the most convincing performers in Germany, but Georgia arguably the most captivating. The teams faced each other twice in qualifying, Spain winning 10-2 on aggregate, including a 7-1 rout in Tbilisi. Georgia, however, have got into a habit of outdoing themselves, exceeding their own expectations.
First, qualification for this summer via the playoffs, after victory over Luxembourg and a penalty shootout win over Greece. Then, their first point at a European Championship, against Czech Republic, and then their first victory, against Portugal. Towards the end of Wednesday’s 2-0 win in Gelsenkirchen, Sagnol and his staff were clock-watching every 10 seconds. “I thought we reached our maximum by qualifying in March,” the manager says, adding yesterday with a glint in his eye that they have “already won Euro 2024”.
Before training a couple of dozen reporters, including a sizeable Spanish contingent, huddle to listen to the story so far. A camera-lens case moonlights as a microphone stand. As Otar Kiteishvili stands sheepishly before an arc of media, hands clasped in front of him, it is evident this is new territory.
“It is a little bit difficult to express this kind of thing,” he says, asked to summarise the last few days. The 28-year-old Sturm Graz midfielder speaks so quietly a reporter asks him to move forward a couple of steps. Valencia’s Giorgi Mamardashvili, Georgia’s action-hero goalkeeper who made a record-equalling 21 saves across the group stage – some of them borderline silly – enjoys dryly delivering the line that Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is better than all of Spain put together. The Cremonese centre-back Luka Lochoshvili cannot stop smiling. “It’s hard to say with words … you must feel it,” he says. “Everybody feels amazing.”
Georgia have cemented themselves as the neutrals’ team. “I think first of all we have done that because of our performances, our game, but the most important thing that people see is that we are a small country, this is our first time here and we were not afraid of it,” says Lochoshvili. “We showed everybody that we can play against all the teams. We keep fighting on the pitch until the end. The fans see the body language of our players in our games, this aggressiveness.”
How do a team ranked 74th in the world ensure they do not suffer from impostor syndrome? David Webb, their English assistant coach who previously worked in recruitment at Bournemouth and Tottenham, has a masters in sports psychology and sometimes presents to the players on the value of staying calm and focused. “It is short and sharp, 15-20 minutes,” he says. “We show them clips, factual information, visual images, just to tap into the emotions a little.”
Sagnol and his staff coach in English, which almost all players and staff speak fluently. Sagnol’s unruffled nature undoubtedly helps; the Frenchman, who represented his country at two World Cups and two European Championships and won the Champions League with Bayern Munich, had a lengthy chat with Kvaratskhelia the day before the Portugal game, telling the Napoli winger to remember the zest he played with in his late-teens. “Don’t think too much, just play,” the message.
In midweek Kvaratskhelia spoke of his pride at giving Georgia the best day of their lives. Given the political power-struggle back home, every result in Germany feels bigger than football. “The Georgians are very patriotic and passionate,” Webb says. “They see this now as something that gives them a different perspective of their everyday life, something to be happy about.”
There was also a nice symmetry to Wednesday’s win, on 26 June. Kvaratskhelia told how the number 26 “is quite positive in our country”, alluding to 26 May, Independence Day. The 26 June will always be cherished regardless of what happens in Cologne on Sunday. “We have made another page in our history,” Kvaratskhelia said.
After that win there were a range of sights and sounds to behold: players, some of whom were reduced to tears in the dressing room, high-fiving and dancing their way towards the team coach, Giorgi Chakvetadze clutching a giant speaker, supporters wrapped in oversized Georgian flags swaying and singing in unison.
Kvaratskhelia donned the No 7 Portugal shirt given to him by Cristiano Ronaldo and several Portugal players offered congratulations to their opponents. Staff were flooded with messages from peers and Premier League coaches struck by their game plan. Roberto Martínez and his assistant, Anthony Barry, wished Georgia well for the knockout stage. “After the game Willy and I were in the coaches’ room at the stadium, just sitting there and we looked over at each other and shared this big smile,” Webb says. “‘Wow, what have we just done?’”
The players were in fine voice, singing songs themselves on the bus back to Velbert. They flew their own chef, Konstantin Tedeluri, to Germany this summer and on one occasion so far he served the popular khachapuri, a cheese-filled bread, a Georgian staple, which went down a treat with the squad. Georgia’s daring and disciplined performances have made for appetising viewing. “We’ve been in camp quite a long time but it feels like we’ve only just got here,” Webb says, referencing their training in Austria at the end of last month.
Things have gone up a notch in all senses since Georges Mikautadze, the leading goalscorer in the group stage, got up and running in defeat against Turkey. “The last 10 days have been unbelievable for us,” says Kiteishvili. “It is a great experience, with this being the first time that we are here [at a European Championship]. The people, our supporters, to see them before the game when we are going to the stadium, when they are walking with our flag, it is an unbelievable feeling, amazing to see and we are so proud about that.”
Whereas some countries appear to be wilting under pressure, Georgia are thriving free of expectation. “When you’re the ‘small team’ of the competition, you know you have nothing to lose,” Sagnol says. “The only responsibility we had at the beginning of the competition was to make the Georgian people proud and I think we’ve done it the best way. Spain are coming and they are probably the best team of the first round so it’s another big challenge for us. Too big? I don’t know, but we will fight until the last like we have since the beginning of the competition.”
