Featured Image Credit: ITV Football
Topics: Euro 2024, Football, Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo
Alex Brotherton
Topics: Euro 2024, Football, Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo
One of the biggest shocks in football history has just happened at Euro 2024 and nobody can quite believe it.
The group stage of Euro 2024 drew to a close on Wednesday, and there certainly wasn't any shortage of drama.
In the late afternoon games, Slovakia and Romania drew 1-1 while Belgium and Ukraine played out a goalless draw, ensuring that for the first time ever, all four teams in one group finished on four points.
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Ukraine became the first team ever to fail to reach the knockout stages of the Euros despite claiming four points.
In the evening games, Group F concluded with Czechia vs Turkiye and Georgia vs Portugal.
10-man Czechia fought back from a goal down to draw 1-1 with Turkiye, but the Czechs still finished bottom of the group.
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That's because in Gelsenkirchen, Georgia pulled off one of the greatest shock results in international football history.
Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia gave Georgia a surprise lead after less than two minutes, firing past Diogo Costa after Georges Mikautadze pounced on a defensive mistake.
Mikautadze doubled his side's lead 10 minutes into the second half, coolly slotting away a penalty after Luka Lochoshvili was felled inside the box.
Georgia - the lowest ranked side in the tournament - defended heroically to frustrate Cristiano Ronaldo & Co. to see out a remarkable victory.
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Not only that, but the three points sent Georgia into the round-of-16 as one of the four best third place finishers.
Willy Sagnol's side will now take on Spain in the last-16 on Sunday evening.
There have been a few surprises and upsets at Euro 2024, but none come close to what Georgia have achieved.
Fans simply couldn't believe that Georgia pulled off such a feat in their first ever major tournament.
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"Georgia are the real dark horses of this tournament," one football fan wrote on X.
Another commented: "Georgia have been such a wonderful part of this Euros. They’ve played with such energy and dynamism, their opening group game against Turkey was the game of the tournament for me and this is a SPECIAL performance."