Group Stage of Euro 2024 Ends with Surprising Upset in Group F
The group stage of Euro 2024 concluded with a surprising upset, as the bottom-placed team in Group F defeated the group leader and advanced to the Round of 16 alongside the Turkish national team.
According to Tasnim News Agency, the final group stage matches of Euro 2024 were held last night (Wednesday) at 22:30 Tehran time. In Group F, the Portuguese national team, which had already secured the top spot in the standings, faced a shocking 2-0 defeat against Georgia, the group’s bottom team.
The match took place at Schalke Arena in Gelsenkirchen. Despite having already secured their advancement with two previous victories, Portugal fielded their main stars, aiming for a third consecutive win and a perfect record. However, Willy Sagnol’s Georgian side had other plans. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored in the 2nd minute, and Mikautadze added a second goal from the penalty spot in the 57th minute, handing the Euro 2016 champions their first defeat of the tournament.
With this victory, Persepolis defender Giorgi Gvelesiani and his Georgian teammates made history by advancing to the knockout stage in their debut European Championship appearance. They finished with four points, securing third place in Group F and a spot among the top 16 teams, where they will face Spain. Georgia’s win also eliminated Hungary, the third-placed team from Group A, which had three points and a goal difference of -3, making them the weakest among the third-placed teams after Croatia.
Gvelesiani played 76 minutes against Portugal before being substituted due to injury with 14 minutes remaining.
In the simultaneous match at Volksparkstadion in Hamburg, the Turkish national team defeated the Czech Republic 2-1. The Czech team played with 10 men from the 20th minute after Barák was sent off