The explosion of joy was glorious to behold.
When the final whistle sounded at the end of the 2-0 victory over Portugal that confirmed their place in the last 16 of Euro 2024, the Georgia bench burst like an overstuffed pinata onto the pitch. The players split into two groups: one was freeform, an uncoordinated mass of joy that scattered itself across the Gelsenkirchen turf.
The other, slightly smaller group headed not for the man who has ended the group stage as top scorer in the tournament, Georges Mikautadze, nor for their star man Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, but instead for their young goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili. Towards the end of the game, Portugal, in their desperation to salvage some dignity in a game that they didn’t need to win, had laid siege to the Georgia goal. But Mamardashvili, the Valencia keeper, had brilliantly stood firm.
Georgia Team- A Historic Achievement
“What a game. What a tournament. What a team,” said their head coach Willy Sagnol. “I thought we had reached our maximum by qualifying,” he admitted after the game, acknowledging that he hadn’t really taken in what they had achieved, and wouldn’t until this tournament is over. “What an image they have given of Georgia. I am proud to be their manager.”
Kvaratskhelia expressed that it was the best day of his life, better even than winning Serie A with Napoli in 2023. “The Scudetto was an incredible moment but today I am happier,” he said. “When you play for your country, it makes you so proud. It was much more difficult (than winning with Napoli) to do this today. It’s difficult to describe my emotions.” He went even further: “This is the best day in the life of Georgians. We just made history.”
The Context of Their Triumph
The scale of this sporting achievement was remarkable, but it also went far beyond that. Georgia faces an uncertain political future because of a controversial new law that effectively declares certain groups who speak out against the government as enemies of the state. Protests have become more and more violent, with activists often brutally treated by police. There are elections scheduled for October, but until then the nation is on edge, unsure as to where Georgia is going.
It always feels trite at junctures like this to espouse the healing power of football. But Georgia even making it to Germany sparked huge celebrations, and defeating Portugal brought supporters out onto the streets of Tbilisi. All of which probably felt a very long way off back in September 2023, when Georgia faced Spain in qualifying. They lost 7-1 in Tbilisi, Alvaro Morata helping himself to a hat-trick, all seven goals scored in a tight 52 minutes. They finished fourth in their qualifying group with just two wins and eight points.
Celebrations and Looking Forward
Georgia, who now face another meeting with Spain in the last 16 on Sunday, closed their post-match celebrations by standing in front of the massed ranks of their fans and performing a modified version of the Icelandic thunderclap, with everyone clapping their hands above their heads in unison, gradually increasing in tempo. After a while, they couldn’t contain their joy any further and just started jumping around like school kids full of sugar.
UEFA did their best to spoil it with some witlessly loud music, and the stadium announcer bellowing something of no consequence. But there was no way that was going to ruin Georgia’s celebration. In that moment, absolutely nothing could.
