Georgia achieved a historic milestone in Euro history on Wednesday by defeating Portugal 2-0, marking their entry into the knock-out phase of their inaugural major tournament.
The victory, propelled by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s early goal and Georges Mikautadze’s penalty, stands as Georgia’s greatest achievement since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Despite Portugal fielding a largely alternate squad already guaranteed passage to the next round, Georgia’s triumph was significant, given their ranking of 74th in the world compared to Portugal’s sixth, and the latter’s status as Euro champions in 2016.
The match, witnessed by enthusiastic Georgia supporters, underscores the team’s remarkable journey, starting from finishing fourth in their qualifiers to ultimately securing a spot in Germany through the Euro Nations tournament and a playoff victory over Greece.
