Qualifying playoffs
Georgia qualified for the European Football Championship for the first time
Georgia’s Giorgi Kochorashvili (l) claims the ball against Dimitris Kourbelis. photo
© Tamuna Kulumbegashvili/AP/dpa
The last participants for the European Football Championship in Germany are being determined. In the first playoff final, a debutant secures the ticket.
Former Bayern professional Willy Sagnol’s team beat the Greeks 4-2 on penalties. The score had previously been 0-0 after regular time and extra time. At the European Championships, the Georgians will now face Portugal, the Czech Republic and Turkey in the group stage.
In an extremely weak game, there were hardly any highlights to see for the spectators in the Georgian capital Tbilisi. Georgia’s superstar Khwitscha Kvarazchelia could hardly be staged either.
Things only got heated once before the penalty shootout, when the referee suddenly handed out two red cards at halftime: one to Georgia’s substitute keeper Giorgi Loria and one to a Greek player who was probably not even in the squad. There had previously been an argument on the sidelines.