Qualifying playoffs
Ukraine, Poland and Georgia get the last European Championship tickets
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 have been determined: a trio is celebrating with the tickets. Former Bundesliga professionals can also be happy.
Afterwards, the Ukrainians and the Poles, led by captain Robert Lewandowski, also celebrated. Ukraine won their playoff final 2-1 (0-1) against Iceland, Poland only beat Wales 5-4 on penalties. The score had previously been 0-0 after extra time. Poland joins the EM hammer group with France, the Netherlands and Austria.
Ukraine made it to the European Championship finals before the penalty shootout. Albert Gudmundsson (30th minute) initially gave the Icelanders the lead in Breslau, Poland. But then Viktor Zyhankov (54th) and superstar Mykhailo Mudryk (84th) turned the game in favor of the Ukrainians. At the European Championships, Ukraine will play in the group stage against Belgium, Romania and Slovakia.
After the Georgians’ victory, a number of fans stormed the pitch in Tbilisi with enthusiasm; the cheering knew no bounds. After regular time and extra time the score was 0-0. At the European Championships, the Georgians will now face Portugal, the Czech Republic and Turkey in the group stage.