Georgia averaged the lowest possession of any team in Euro qualifying, but they did the job and made it to the finals. They lacked possession against Portugal but did what was required – and did it in style.
Kvaratskhelia set Serie A alight as Napoli won the league in 2022-23, but he hasn’t hit the same heights since. Before Wednesday’s game, he’d struggled to make an impact in Germany, but he stepped up to the task on Wednesday.
Georgia boss Willy Sagnol set Kvaratskhelia and Mikautadze the task of sitting high up the pitch to be ready to hit Portugal when fortune came their way and they did so early on, the latter snatching a misplaced Antonio Silva pass to set up a well-taken opener.
Goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who was crucial in helping them to a 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic, found himself with little work to do for most of the night as Portugal struggled.
Ronaldo stung his palms with a long-range free-kick and sent a deflected effort from six yards onto the roof of the net, but his impact was otherwise muted.
The 39-year-old had been looking to become the oldest player to score at the Euros but was instead reduced to kicking the turf in irritation when he went off in the second half.
For Georgia’s youngsters, however, it was a night to shine.
Mikautadze, 23, has scored in each of his nation’s group-stage games. Now Kvaratskhelia has arrived and will look to make history again in a difficult game against Spain.
