How did the ugly duckling turn into a white swan? Georgia will play against Spain, and the top 16 of the European Cup are announced.

At midnight on June 27th, Beijing time, the last match day of the European Cup group stage ended, and the top 16 teams were all announced. In the next quarter-finals, the top half will face: Spain vs. Georgia, Germany vs. Denmark, Portugal vs. Slovenia, France vs. Belgium; the bottom half will face: Romania vs. the Netherlands, Austria vs. Turkey, England vs. Slovakia, Switzerland vs. Italy.

In the last round of group matches, Slovakia in Group E drew 1-1 with Romania and Ukraine drew 0-0 with Belgium; in Group F, the Czech Republic lost 1-2 to Turkey and Portugal lost 0-2 to Georgia.

Portugal had already secured first place in the group and played relatively calmly in this match. Just 1 minute and 30 seconds into the game, Georgia's Mikatadze seized on Portugal's back pass error in the midfield to launch a counterattack, and then sent a precise pass to Kvaratskhelia who was advancing forward. The latter faced the goalkeeper with a single shot and calmly pushed the ball into the far corner, giving Georgia a dream start. After that, Portugal formed a half-court siege on Georgia, repeatedly threatening Georgia's goal, but was broken up by Georgia's excellent defensive performance.

In the second half, in the 57th minute, Georgia's Lochoshvili was brought down by Portugal's defender Antonio Silva in the opponent's penalty area. Mikatadze took the penalty kick and scored, helping Georgia to expand its lead.

With this victory, the Georgian team, which got four points, ranked third in the group and became one of the four best third-placed teams in the group. It created a miracle at the last moment to complete self-redemption and successfully advanced to the round of 16 of the European Cup.

Most domestic football fans' impression of Georgian football may still be that of Kaladze, a two-time Champions League winner who played for AC Milan and entered politics after retirement. For a long time, Georgia's weight in football news has been far lower than its appearance rate in various geopolitical news. In the UEFA map, Georgia is also a marginal "enclave" - ​​most of their territory is in Asia, but due to historical and cultural issues, they chose to join UEFA in 1993.

Due to problems in history, culture, language and other aspects, Georgian players are less recognized in Europe and were rarely favored by the five major leagues in the early years. More players choose to go to Russia or Ukraine to start their professional careers. For example, Milan star Kaladze first made a name for himself in Dynamo Kyiv before landing in Serie A.

The low level of the domestic league and the imperfect professional football structure, and the inability of players to go to a larger platform for training and development, have limited the development of Georgian football. The occasional appearance of one or two superstars is not enough for Georgia to get a ticket to international competitions. The last time they came close to the European Cup was in 2020, when they reached the play-off final, but became the background board of North Macedonia's veteran Pandev, and unfortunately fell in the place closest to the European Cup.

On June 26, Georgian goalkeeper Mamardashvili saved the ball during the game.

Portugal lost 0-2 to Georgia in the third round of Group F of the 2024 European Football Championship held in Gelsenkirchen, Germany on the same day.

The road to qualifying for the European Cup was also full of ups and downs for the Georgian team. In the qualifying stage, they only had a poor record of 2 wins, 2 draws and 4 losses, ranking fourth in the group. They should have missed the next round, but they were able to get a place in the play-offs by virtue of their performance in the UEFA Nations League. In the play-offs, the Georgian team first defeated Luxembourg 2-0, and then fought with Greece to a penalty shootout, defeating their opponent with a score of 4:2, and stumbled into the European Cup finals for the first time in team history.

Therefore, before the start of the European Championship, no one was optimistic about this new team. Most people thought that Georgia was just a "send-away" team in Group F. No one expected this "bottom-of-the-pack team" to qualify from the group, and no one could have expected that this team ranked only 74th in the world could beat Portugal, which had Cristiano Ronaldo.

However, the performance of this Georgian team in this European Cup is really surprising, far beyond people's expectations. In the first round against Turkey, Georgia lost to the opponent due to bad luck, but the decisiveness of the attack and the fighting spirit of the whole team showed us the extraordinary strength of this team. In the second match against the Czech Republic in the group stage, the team still stubbornly tied the opponent despite the disadvantages of 5:27 shots and 4:6 ball possession. In today's match against Portugal, Georgia used a textbook counterattack to amaze every fan.

On June 26, Georgian player Mikatadze celebrated scoring a penalty kick.

Portugal lost 0-2 to Georgia in the third round of Group F of the 2024 European Football Championship held in Gelsenkirchen, Germany on the same day.

On the offensive end of the Georgian team, Kvaratskhelia from Naples is the most famous player in the team. He has balanced left and right feet, a strong body and fast speed, and has strong breakthrough and finishing ability. Last season, he sent a double-double of 14 goals and 14 assists for Naples, becoming the key to Naples's league championship. Although his performance has declined this season, he still has 11 goals and 7 assists. His offensive efficiency and stability are terrifying. In the match against Portugal, it was his goal that kicked off the miracle of the Georgian team. Afterwards, he used his outstanding personal ability to break into the dragon's den many times and stirred up the Portuguese team's defense.

At the same time, the performance of Georgian striker Mikatadze, who contributed one assist and one goal in this game, was also amazing. His excellent finishing ability became the core of Georgia's offense. After this game, his personal goal number in this European Cup has reached three goals, temporarily surpassing Musiala, Gakpo and other stars to the top of the scorer list.

On May 31, 2013, then Georgian Deputy Prime Minister Kahka Kaladze and his son Levan appeared. On that day, Kaladze's farewell football match to AC Milan was held in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. AC Milan Stars defeated the "Friends of Kaladze" team 3-1. Kaladze is a household name in Georgia. He served as the captain of the Georgian national team 50 times. From 2001 to 2010, he played for AC Milan in Serie A and won one Serie A championship, one Italian Cup, one Italian Super Cup, one European Champions Cup, one European Super Cup, and one FIFA Club World Cup.

As for goalkeepers, Mamadashvili from Valencia in La Liga defended the last line of defense for the Georgian team with his outstanding performance. He is 199cm tall, has excellent jumping ability and is full of strength. He has made 106 saves in the league this season, which is amazing. He can be said to be the mainstay of the team's defense. During the offseason, AC Milan, Tottenham and Chelsea have expressed their interest in him. In today's match against Portugal, Mamadashvili made 5 wonderful saves, saving the team repeatedly with high and low blocks.

Four days later, Georgia will start the knockout stage of this European Cup, facing Spain, which is the first in Group B and has maintained an undefeated record. It is worth observing whether this bright new team in the European Cup can continue to create miracles and go further on the road to this year's European Cup.