Berlin: Spain recovered from an early setback to defeat Georgia 4-1 in the Euro 2024 round of 16 at Cologne’s sold-out Rhein-Energie Stadium late on Sunday, securing their place in the quarterfinals.
Spain started aggressively, creating several early chances, but Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili thwarted efforts from Daniel Carvajal and Pedri, while Nico Williams missed narrowly from the edge of the box.
The opener, however, came at the other end, with a costly mistake from Spain defender Robin Le Normand. Attempting to clear Otar Kakabadze’s cross, Le Normand inadvertently sent the ball into his own net, giving Georgia a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute.
Spain responded with relentless attacks but had to remain patient as Fabian Ruiz, Pedri, and Marc Cucurella were unable to beat the in-form Mamardashvili.
Spain’s persistence paid off just before halftime. Williams set up Rodri, whose left-footed strike found the bottom right corner, leaving Mamardashvili helpless in the 39th minute, leveling the score at 1-1.
After the break, Georgia continued to pose a threat, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia testing Spain’s goalkeeper Unai Simon from distance.
Spain took the lead in the 51st minute when Lamine Yamal’s precise cross found Ruiz, who headed home from close range to make it 2-1.
Georgia pushed forward in search of an equalizer, but Spain capitalized on a counterattack. Fabian’s long ball found Williams, who finished with a solo run, blasting the ball into the roof of the net in the 75th minute, extending Spain’s lead to 3-1.
Spain wasn’t finished, adding a fourth goal in the closing stages. Dani Olmo’s low strike beat Mamardashvili, sealing the 4-1 victory.
With this win, three-time Euro champions Spain will face tournament hosts Germany in Stuttgart’s MHP Arena on Friday.
“It was as expected, a tough match for us. We knew that, but we made our own life difficult in the first half. We were also nervous after we conceded the goal but responded well with the equalizer before halftime. We must show our best football against tournament hosts Germany now,” said Spain’s player of the match, Rodri.
-IANS