Greece has missed out on a place at the Euro 2024 after losing to Georgia 4-2 on penalties.
Greece’s defeat means the Euro 2004 champions continue to wait to qualify for a major tournament since the 2014 World Cup.
Georgia’s victory is a historic moment for the team as it is the first time they have qualified for Euro 2024.
Mavropanos had a goal in the 102′, fatal for Greece were Bakasetas and Giakoumakis who missed two penalties, with the Georgians showing much more composure than the white bullet.
The National Team had the first good moment in the match, when in the 9th minute Ioannidis tried to leave behind the Georgian defence after a pass from Hatzidiakos, but Dvali literally cut him off at the last moment and conceded a corner.
In the 39th minute, Ioannidis again tried to escape behind the Georgia defence, but then fell under pressure from the opponent. But he managed to pass the ball to Pelkas, who “stepped” in the area, but slipped and could not execute.
The Georgians had the best chance of the half in the 45th minute with Zivzivantze’s direct free kick from a lateral position, which Vlachodimos impressively cleared for a corner.
At the end of the first half there was a lot of tension after a skirmish between Kvaratskhelia and Mandalos. Those in the two stands filed onto the field and for about two minutes there was some heckling and shoving, with referee Marciniak sending off Georgia substitute goalkeeper (and former OFI player) Giorki Loria and George Tzavella.
In the second half, Greece took control of the ball and traffic in the midfield, increased their possession percentages (59%-41%), with the Georgians giving them the floor and looking for a quick counter with Kvaratskhelia or Kakvetatze. However, he didn’t have clear opportunities to score, as something was missing in the final pass and execution.
The two teams went into half-hour extra time, with the “blue-and-white” team missing a very important opportunity in the 100′ with Bakasetas’ long shot, which Mamardashvili took impressively into his corner.
In the 102′ from Tsimikas’ corner, Mavropanos rose higher than everyone and with a nailed “dynamite” header sent the ball to the crossbar of Georgia, while the next minute Rota’s shot from inside the area went over the beams.
In the last minute of the first half of extra time, Vlachodimos made an amazing operation with his foot on Davitashvili’s projection from the small area.
Georgia, although they lost Kvaratskhelia to injury (he was substituted in the 109′), had another very good moment in the 110′ with Tsitaishvili, who passed the entire Greek defence and scored from a wide position with Vlahodemos clearing for a corner.
The match went to the penalty shoot-out, where the composure of the Georgians “spoke”, against the Greek team that missed two executions and was eliminated.
Source: zougla.gr.
