Reaction and analysis
Thank you for joining me for this thriller and for you contributions. It was a dream start for Georgia and their fans dared to imagine a spot in the quarter-finals. But Spain hit back four times over to seal their spot against hosts Germany. For all the action take a read of Sid Lowe’s report:
Nico Williams had a belter of a game today and the performance was capped off with a delightful goal. Have a watch of it here (if you are outside of the UK you may not be able to watch with it coming from ITV):
Nico Williams with an absolute beauty 🤩
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 30, 2024
He has been brilliant this tournament so far 🌟#Euro2024 | #ESPGEO pic.twitter.com/npe7dEXHrH
So who will win Germany v Spain? Arguably it should be the final but it is just how the draw has landed. Based on the last 16 performances I would say Spain will just edge it. But who knows. Germany of course have the home advantage but Spain are just the standout team.
Georgia’s run may be over but what a campaign it has been. The win over Portugal will live in their football history forever. And going ahead against Spain created all the drama this fixture needed.
Another silver lining for Spain is that the potential of them getting a fine for Yamal playing past 11pm is avoided. The game has finished 10 minutes before German law says youth athletes can work to.
Full time! Spain 4-1 Georgia
Spain are through to the European Championship quarter-finals where they will meet hosts Germany after staging an impressive comeback against Georgia. The underdogs scored first through a Le Normand own goal but they equalised with a Rodri goal before half-time. Goals from Olmo, Williams and Fabian saw Spain seal the win.
90 + 3 min: Spain win a free kick and they take it short, Navas makes a great run and it’s crossed in. Georgia do enough to clear it but Williams is on the deck in pain. I think he takes a boot to the calf but he is soon up and okay to continue.
90 + 1 min: Spain winding down the clock now, it is all but sealed that they will face hosts Germany in the quarter-final, what a game that will be. There will be three added minutes.
89 min: Georgia win the ball back and they plot to find their second in this match, it is deflected out for a corner. The delivery is good and it’s headed but out again for yet another set piece. The ball only finds a Spanish foot though.
87 min: Spain want five as they come streaming forward once again and it is starting to look like a cat playing with a mouse in Cologne.
85 min: The scoreline won’t tell the story of this game, it won’t convey Georgia’s electricity in the first half. But what it does tell the rest of the competition is Spain can overcome going behind, something they haven’t had to do so far.
Yamal had just missed a good chance and Spain set up once again, it falls to Olmo who controls so skilfully. He takes a look at the keeper and sends it into the left hand corner.
GOAL! Spain 4-1 Georgia (Olmo, 83)
Too easy.
Updated
82 min: The corner comes in but a Georgian player is fouled and so the chance is gone.
81 min: Yamal is the absolute star of this tournament and he almost makes it four but Mamardashvili closes the chance down well. It goes out for a corner.
79 min: Is that the game now? I would say so. When Georgia were only a goal behind I could see one goal on the break equalising but two? It’s unlikely but you never know, some Euros magic may be sprinkled.
77 min: Spain fans are going crazy, after going behind early in this one they are showing why they are favourites in this tournament.
Williams made a fantastic run with Spain countering, he was composed and didn’t rush his effort. He made sure hr took it around the defender before launching it into the net. A deserved goal for one of the best players on the pitch. Williams celebrates with a great dance to camera.
GOAL! Spain 3-1 Georgia (Williams, 75)
Deserved goal.
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74 min: I think Kári Tulinius has come up with the perfect desciption of this Georgian team:
If this is the last we see of Georgia, I will miss them. Watching them break forward is thrilling, the whole team is like a coiled spring which is released when they win the ball.
I’d take a punt at putting it better myself but I’m unsure if I could.
73 min: Davitashvili is shown a yellow card for a challenge on Olmo. The resulting free kick is taken quickly and Spain have a lot of build-up to put in to create something from this. They do manage to get it into the box, eventually, but Mamardashvili gets it gingerly away.
71 min: Spain painstakingly build an attack with several passes involved and it falls to Fabian. He sees his name up in lights and lashes it over the bar, not the finish he had in mind.
69 min: Georgian fans are still making their voices heard in Cologne, a thunder clap to urge their team on. It inspires a great run from Tsitaishvili but instead of opting to pass in the area but he takes it himself and it’s out for a goal kick.
67 min: Williams, who is having an excellent game, is the taker once more. It is a brilliant delivery and Le Normand gets a touch to it but his effort is wide. Le Normand has scored this evening already but it was an own goal. Spain make more changes with Grimaldo and Oyarzabal on.
65 min: Lochoshvili and Chakvetadze are off for Gocholeishvili and Davitashvili as Georgia make more changes. The news that Spain have won a corner won’t surprise you.
64 min: The pace of the Spanish game has slowed, the second goal just settling their nerves after conceding their first goal of the tournament in this match. Georgia almost have a defensive blunder as it is given away cheaply at the back and Yamal pounces but his effort is wide. The 16-year-old continues to impress on one of the biggest stages.
62 min: At this stage I can’t remember the last time Georgia had more than two passes with the ball, Spain are just showing their experience in protecting their lead. But they do have to still be wary of Georgia’s countering theat.
60 min: Spain are having all of the ball at the moment but Georgia are still defending well, they haven’t panicked after conceding again but they will need to through an attacking punch of their own soon. But it is Yamal who creates the next chance but winning a corner. It is taken quickly and comes to the edge of the box but it blocked.
59 min: Carvajal is down injured but is quickly back to his feet. Spain using all of the game management tools at their disposal.
57 min: The sharks are swarming outside the box and Morata takes a shot but it is wide, the momentum is all with Spain now.
55 min: Spain smell blood and they are on the hunt for a third, if they score again the game may be gone for Georgia. Whenever they come forward I have the Jaws theme song in my head.
54 min: Spain make their first change with Pedri off for Olmo.
The ball came out after the save from Mamardashvili, Yamal quickly got it back into the area and Fabian gets it into the back of the net.
GOAL! Spain 2-1 Georgia (Fabian, 52)
We have our first free kick of the second half and it goes to Spain. It is Yamal who takes it and my word, what a save from Mamardashvili. But they come again and Fabian heads home.
Updated
50 min: Georgia keep reminding Spain of their threat as they break again, Kvaratskhelia makes a good run but he spots Simon off of his line and so he launches a long range effort but it is wide. Wow, that would have been quite a goal.
48 min: Georgia are on the break now and it is when these moves are put together that they are their most deadly but a good run from Laporte sees the opportunity gone.
47 min: Spain are lively early doors and in the first minute of the second half they have a chance through Fabian but his effort is wide.
Back underway! Spain 1-1 Georgia
The second half has begun and this tie is living up to the expectation. Either side could win and if the scoreline remains as it is we will head to extra time and maybe penalties.
Brad Wilson has messaged me on X to get involved with our ‘if players were food chat’ and said:
How about a spicy feta cheese blend on a crunchy flatbread for Nico Williams
I can see this, he has been zest of this Spain team so far this evening. Great set piece deliveries and a peach of a ball to Rodri for their equaliser.
Georgia have played really well in this tie so far, particularly their goalkeeper Mamardashvili. Despite conceding late on in the first half he has made at least four good saves and so Spain could be at least 2-1 up by now.
Here are the goals so far:
The dream continues for Georgia 🤩🇬🇪
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 30, 2024
The debutants take the lead against Spain... 👀#Euro2024 | #ESPGEO pic.twitter.com/kWIZTcKgmI
Rodri equalises for Spain 🇪🇸
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 30, 2024
The Man City man turns up again 🙌#Euro2024 | #ESPGEO pic.twitter.com/5YpIDr962Z
Half-time! Spain 1-1 Georgia
Well who would have predicted this scoreline at kick-off? Georgia weathered an early Spanish storm and Le Normand hit in an own goal but Spain rallied and equalised through Rodri. This tie is in the balance and it’s a difficult one to call.
45 + 2 min: Spain have a corner in the dying moments in this half. It’s hit in well but Lochoshvili sees it out for another corner. The second corner is cleared well.
45 min: Morata is shown a yellow card, the first of the game, as he stands on Lochoshvili’s foot. There will be two minutes added.
44 min: As we head to half-time let’s hear from one of you.
Simon Eckford has emailed and said:
“If the minimal handball was a penalty for Germany last night, why isn’t slightly contact on their attacker’s foot a penalty for Georgia. There wasn’t much contact, but it was intentional which the handball wasn’t.”
I understand your point of view but I think in this case the decision went the right way. Should last night’s been a penalty? I don’t think so.
42 min: In the build-up to Spain’s goal Kiteishvili was injured and so Altunashvili comes on.
41 min: The Georgian fans had started to get excited with the announcement off a check but it’s very quickly given. It remains 1-1.
40 min: Hang on! They are checking this for offside.
Williams spots Rodri on the edge of the box and he takes a touch to rifle it into the bottom right hand corner. Rodri runs over to the bench and they swarm him, just shows how much pressure they have been under so far.
GOAL! Spain 1-1 Georgia (Rodri, 38)
Who else?
Updated
38 min: Carvajal slips as Spain came forward for yet another attack, that has happened a lot to the Spanish player since the rain started to fall. I thought once they conceded Spain would respond with a vengeance but Georgia’s defence has been hugely impressive.
36 min: Here come Spain and Cucurella takes a punt but Mamardashvili makes his fourth good save of the match.
35 min: Georgia win a corner, their first of the game as they continue to grow into this last 16 fixture. It comes in but it doesn’t reach the head of Kiteishvili and rolls out for a goal kick.
Updated
34 min: Just a reminder that the last time these two teams played one another Spain won 7-1 before the tournament began. Of course there is absolutely buckets of time left in this game but their progress in a short period of time is impressive.
32 min: Mikautadze makes a great run and he just keeps on coming, he makes it into the area but Le Normand takes him down. The referee doesn’t give a penalty and it’s a fair call, he seemed to go down without much contact.
31 min: Georgia break again and this is where this team is thriving, the ball is passed to Kochorashvili whose shot is saved by Simon. I think everyone but Spain fans will be willing Georgia on.
30 min: If the scoreline remains as it is would this be the biggest shock in Euros history? I think it would. Anyway, back to the game and Laporte takes a shot from over 30 yards out and it’s off target.
28 min: Laporte is at the heart of Spain’s attack at the moment and he has several touches in their latest attempt. It falls to Pedri but his 18-yard effort over the bar.
26 min: It has just started to rain in Cologne, just to add more atmosphere to this thrilling encounter. Kvaratskhelia starts another Georgian attack but Spain make good recovery runs to make sure they block. Spain need to halt this Georgian momentum, it’s all with the underdogs at the moment.
24 min: The goal has gone down as a Le Normand own goal, he has been judged to have had the last touch.
Justin Kavanagh has got involved in our ‘if players were food what would they be?’ chat:
“Surely young Lamine Yamal is a pumpkin, given his nocturnal curfew concerns? As for Georges Mikautadze, he is a very tasty khinkali, a Georgian soup dumpling that is slippery on the outside, but always delivers the meat broth on the inside.”
I like those selections, keep them coming.
22 min: The noise in the stadium has cranked up exponentially. This is Georgia’s first Euros and they are leading one of the favourites for this tournament. Spain are hunting for this equaliser and Fabian has a shot but it is hero Mamardashvili who saves once again.
20 min: Did anyone see this coming? I certainly didn’t. Georgia have all of the momentum and Le Normand has to block another break. The goal was the first Spain have conceded in this tournament.
Georgia broke and they did so quickly. A pin point pass came to Kvaratskhelia and he hit it in off of his thigh. My, oh my. Spain shell shocked.
GOAL! Spain 0-1 Georgia (Le Normand OG, 18')
MY WORD. Georgia have their first attack and score.
Updated
16 min: Kochorashvili is back to his feet and okay to continue, a great thing to see. This feels like only a matter of time until Spain score, they could easily be 2-0 up. They come forward again and win yet another corner.
15 min: Fabian has a shot blocked and it eventually falls to Williams who rifles it off but Gvelesiani sees it behind for a corner. Williams the taker once again but Le Normand and Kochorashvili clash heads with the Georgian player staying down, hopefully he is okay.
13 min: Williams takes the corner quickly but it’s cleared well by Georgia, Spain are not letting their foot off of the gas at all.
11 min: Mamardashvili take a bow, what a tournament he is having! Spain win another corner with Williams the taker again, Carvajal gets a great touch to it but the keeper makes a fantastic save. Spain keep coming and win yet another corner.
9 min: Some good defence from Kochorashvili, who sees it out for a corner. Williams takes it and comes in, the delivery good, but Kashia sees it clear. Spain so far have had 81% possession.
8 min:
“After watching England, it’s really odd to see Williams, as a left winger, playing on the left wing and offering width and stretching the play. Very odd,” says Hugh Gordon.
It know, isn’t it strange what players can do when put in their preferred positions. Back to the game and Spain continue to crank up the pressure.
6 min: Yamal has his first spell on the halfway line, he has a good run and it comes to Pedri who has a great shot and it takes a cracking save from Mamardashvili to stop it.
4 min: Spain taking it left and right, they get to 20 yards out and Fabian takes a shot but it’s blocked. The men in red piling on the pressure early doors.
2 min: Spain will have a lot of possession today but it will be about what Georgia can do when they get their spells. It is the favourites who are on the ball in the early spell and they get into the area, Morata hits the deck but nothing is given.
Kick-off! Spain 0-0 Georgia
Here we go then. Who will play Germany in the quarters? We have 90 minutes (or maybe more) to find out. Also I think the commentators are reading my blog as they’ve just used the David v Goliath line I used in my first post.
The players are out on the pitch with the anthems imminent. Can Georgia cause a huge upset? Or will Spain continue their tournament charge? We will soon find out.
In case you missed it, England have beaten Slovakia but by the skin of their teeth. Jude Bellingham scored a late equaliser and captain Harry Kane scored the winner in extra time.
10 minute warning! Get your drinks ready, meals secured and feet up.
The first time Lamine Yamal joined the Spain squad, they left his boots behind. His and everyone else’s too. When the selección touched down in Tbilisi to face Georgia in September 2023, the trunk carrying part of their kit was still sitting at Barajas, forcing them to complete the evening session at the Boris Paichadze stadium in trainers, unable to strike the ball. The following night, they scored seven. On his debut, the Barcelona winger got the last of them, aged 16 years and 57 days, and the national team got a new beginning.
Ten months on, Spain face Georgia again, this time for place in the quarter-final of Euro 2024. They are, Lamine Yamal says, the best side here but, he adds, “nothing we have done in the group phase will mean anything if we get knocked out”.
Read the rest of the piece:
There were questions over whether Lamine Yamal would be able to play later kick-offs at the Euros because of Germany’s youth labour laws. Yamal is 16 and the German law says they cannot work beyond 8pm but there is a caveat – athletes can work up until 11pm.
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente said: “He shows a maturity inappropriate for his age, but he is in developing both as a footballer and as a person. We are all responsible in that process. We are going to do our job and let him play. Nothing more.
“I don’t know the German legislation on whether Lamine has to be removed at 11pm... We don’t think so.”
So which stars should fans be keeping an eye on in this tie?
For Spain, they have the usual suspects in their ranks who can come up with some magic but the one player who has caught people’s attention is 16-year-old Lamine Yamal.
Meanwhile, for Georgia, Georges Mikautadze is a star to keep tabs on. The Metz forward has scored three goals and made an assist so far in the competition. Could be the nation’s hero today?
Whoever win this match will face hosts Germany in the quarter-finals. They beat Denmark in their last 16 tie last night but they were pushed by the Danes. You can catch up with the action from that one here:
I’d love to hear from you. If you have read one of my blogs before you’ll know I love a bit of snack chat. But let’s do something a bit different. What food would your favourite player be? For example would Toni Kroos be a spaghetti bolognese, always dependable but tasty? Let me know via email or X (@rendellx).
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As we are in knockout football territory there is a possibility of the match heading to penalties if it remains a draw after extra time. But how do Spain and Georgia fair in penalties? We have a guide that tells you everything you need to know:
Georgia have become neutral fans’ team and the second team for supporters who still have their nations in the competition. “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 entre-back Luka 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.”
In the England game, Slovakia were leading until two minutes to go in normal time. Jude Bellingham scored an equaliser and just 52 seconds into extra time Harry Kane has put them ahead. To follow it, you can click here:
So changes, apologies just wanted to get the news to you as soon as possible. Spain have made a raft of changes – 10 to be precise – with Aymeri Laporte the only survivor from their final group game against Albania. Admittedly, Spain may have been resting a few stars as they had already qualified for the knockouts.
Georgia, meanwhile, have kept the same starting line-up as the team who beat Portugal. And who would?
Georgia (5-3-2): Mamardashvili; Kakabadze, Gvelesiani, Kashia, Dvali, Lochoshvili; Chakvetadze, Kiteishvili, Kochorashvili; Mikautadze, Kvaratskhelia. Subs: Loria, Kvirkvelia, Zivzivadze, Davitashvili, Kvilitaia, Gugeshashvili, Gocholeishvili, Kvekveskiri, Altunashvili, Shengelia, Tsitaishvili, Lobjanidze, Tabidze, Sigua.
Updated
The team news is in. Spain is below, Georgia incoming with news of changes imminent.
Spain: Unai Simón (GK), Carvajal, Le Normand, Morata (C), Fabián Ruiz, Laporte, Rodri, Williams, Yamal, Pedri, Cucurella.
Updated
Spain v Georgia prediction
Spain have probably been the best team of the tournament so far, Georgia the most fun. There was scepticism about Luis de la Fuente when he was appointed Spain manager but he seems to have achieved the remarkable feat of changing a football culture. Since winning the Euros in 2012, their third tournament in a row, Spanish football has remained technically brilliant, but too often their possession game seemed a little purposeless. In this tournament, though, thanks largely to the two wingers, Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal, they have been much more direct and, seemingly, much more dangerous – although they did somehow only beat Italy 1-0 despite overwhelming domination.
But, as they showed in the group stage, Georgia can pose a threat, and will relish the chance to attack the space behind Spain through the quick and skilful forwards Georges Mikautadze and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. If they are to cause a shock, though, they may need another exceptional performance from their goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Verdict Thrilling Spain win
The England game continues with Gareth Southgate’s side currently 1-0 down to Slovakia. It has been a lacklustre performance from England but can they claw it back? Rob Smyth is taking you through that one here:
Preamble
Hello and welcome to the fourth last 16 match of the Euros. Spain take on Georgia in what feels like a David v Goliath match.
Spain have been one of the most impressive sides in the competition so far and have young talent showcasing what they can do. This is not to say Georgia haven’t been impressive, they have and have become many fans’ second team, but it would be a huge shock if Georgia got the better of Spain today.
But everyone knows the outcome of David v Goliath. The favourites are capable of losing and who better to do so than a nation riding the wave of their success. This is the first-ever European Championships Georgia have played in.
Their group stage was impressive for their first in the competition. The start wasn’t what they would have wanted with a 3-1 loss to Turkey but they followed it up with a 1-1 draw against the Czech Republic and a phenomenal 2-0 win over Portugal.
If they can down Portugal, they can do the same to Spain. But Spain are a slightly different beast, if both teams are on it today we are in for a tasty battle. We’ll take a look at the build-up to the match with manager insight next before team news, expected in the next half an hour.
