Georgia, Ukraine and Poland clinch last Euro 2024 slots

Georgia and Poland overcame Greece and Wales respectively on penalties, while the third team to book it’s place for Euro 2024, war torn Ukraine, had to come from behind to defeat Iceland.

Georgia reach Euro 2024 with Greece shootout win to make history

Georgia qualified for Euro 2024 thanks to a 4-2 shootout win over Greece after a tense playoff final ended 0-0 following extra time on Tuesday as they made history by reaching their first major tournament.

Georgia substitute Nika Kvekveskiri converted his spot kick after Greece‘s Giorgos Giakoumakis put his penalty wide to send the home crowd wild as their side edged through to the finals.

Georgia will be in Group F alongside Portugal, Turkey and Czech Republic at the Euros in Germany which begin on June 14.

Giorgi Mamardashvili saved Greece‘s first effort from Anastasios Bakasetas after the hosts had taken the lead in the shootout but when Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze missed his spot kick the Greeks had renewed hope.

However, Giakoumakis sent Greece‘s fourth penalty past the post to leave Georgia’s Kvekveskiri as the hero when he kept his cool and squeezed his right-foot kick into the net.

“Some did not believe in us but now they will believe it. We are happy. I have never had such an emotion in my life,” Georgia talisman Khvicha Kvaratskhelia told 1TV Sport.

The home crowd enjoyed watched Georgia beat Luxembourg 2-0 in the playoff semi-final last Thursday but were made to suffer through Tuesday’s shootout before celebrating as never before.

Manager Willy Sagnol made one change from the Luxembourg win, with key forward Kvaratskhelia returning from suspension, while Greece‘s Gus Poyet named the same side after the 5-0 thrashing of Kazakhstan in their semi-final.

NERVY AFFAIR

The game was a scrappy, nervy affair, with chances in normal time few and far between. Tempers flared on the stroke of halftime as both benches spilled onto the pitch with Georgia’s substitute keeper Giorgi Loria shown a red card.

Fouls on Kvaratskhelia led to three bookings for Greek defenders in the first half but the influential forward went off injured in extra time and could only watch from the sidelines as his team mates triumphed in the shootout.

The game came to life close to the end of the opening period of extra time, with Georgia keeper Mamardashvili getting down to push away a shot from Bakasetas and Greece‘s Konstantinos Mavropanos hitting the bar with a header.

Georgia then had the chance to snatch a winner when Georges Mikautadze passed to Zuriko Davitashvili at the edge of the six- yard box but his close-range effort was saved by Odysseas Vlachodimos and penalties seemed inevitable.

The optimistic home crowd displayed a banner before the game which read “Breaking news, Georgia make history” and, in the end, they could wave it proudly when Kvekveskiri’s decisive penalty hit the back of the net to send their team to Germany.

Georgia lost a playoff for Euro 2020 also in Tbilisi against North Macedonia but this time the delirious home supporters were on the pitch celebrating as their side finally made it to a major finals at the 15th attempt.

“Thanks to the Georgian fans,” Kvaratskhelia said. “I’ve played in many stadiums but I haven’t seen such support anywhere. You were the most important factor.”

Jubilant Ukraine reach Euro 2024 finals with Iceland win

Ukraine’s tears of despair turned to joy after qualification for the Euro 2024 soccer tournament was achieved with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Iceland in their playoff final played in a neutral but partisan Wroclaw Stadium in Poland on Tuesday.

Viktor Tsygankov and Mykhailo Mudryk scored second half goals as it was mission accomplished in a campaign where Ukraine have been forced to play ‘home’ fixtures in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany and Poland following Russia’s February 2022 invasion of the country that sparked a war which still rages.

Albert Gudmundsson had put Iceland ahead in the first half but they surrendered possession and the initiative as they struggled to contain their opponents for much of the contest.

It is a fourth straight visit to the continental finals for Ukraine who take their place in Group E with Belgium, Slovakia and Romania, who they open their campaign against on June 17.

“Thank you boys! Thank you to the team! For proving once again that when Ukrainians face challenges but refuse to give up and continue the fight, they invariably win,” Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a message on Telegram.

Chants of “Ukraine, Ukraine” rang around the stadium, the scenes of jubilation and yellow and blue flags waving not far removed from what might be expected if the game was in Kyiv.

Poland is home to a large number of refugees from the war, many of whom will have been in the stadium to witness one of their team’s greatest triumphs given the circumstances.

It makes up for Ukraine missing out on the last World Cup after a playoff defeat by Wales and for the second game running they had to come from behind to secure victory after snatching a 2-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Thursday’s semi-final.

“I think this is a very important victory for the entire Ukrainian people, for our soldiers,” coach Serhiy Rebrov told reporters.

“I am very happy for the players, because these two (playoff) games were very difficult and nerve-wracking. Both before and after the matches, we said that these victories are for our country, people, defenders who defend our freedom.

“Everyone understands how important this victory is.”

SUBLIME GOAL

Gudmundsson scored a sublime goal to give Iceland the lead on the half-hour mark as he picked up the ball just outside the box, beat two defenders to make the space and rifled a precise shot into the corner of the net.

The start of the second half was frenetic and Ukraine drew level with a fine equaliser.

Tsygankov was picked out on the right wing and cut inside, drifting into a central position before firing low into the bottom corner of the net with his left foot.

Ukraine keeper Andriy Lunin made a superb stop to deny Jon Thorsteinsson, sprawling to his left to claw away a curling effort from just inside the area, and it was Ukraine who then found the winning moment.

Mudryk scored only his second international goal as he latched onto a cut-back from Georgiy Sudakov and buried the ball into the net, as well as Iceland’s hopes, leaving Ukrainians to celebrate a victory that gives their team a place in Germany.

“We were still in it when it was 1-1,” Iceland winger Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson told newspaper Morgunbladid.

“Then comes the second goal and we’ve spent an incredible amount of energy trying to keep (the scores level), so that’s what completely changed the game.”

Poland edge Wales 5-4 on penalties

Poland’s Wojciech Szczesny saved a Daniel James spot kick as they dashed Wales’ hopes and won a penalty shootout 5-4 to qualify for Euro 2024 as the last country through from the playoff finals on Tuesday.

The victory at the Cardiff City Stadium, after a cagey 90 minutes and further deadlock in extra time, secured Poland a fifth straight appearance at the continental tournament.

They will be in Group D with France, the Netherlands and Austria at the finals in Germany, which start in June.

“It wasn’t easy because we knew Wales at home are dangerous. For us the most important thing was to play our own game and that’s what we’ve done,” said Poland manager Michal Probierz.

“We missed opportunities to shoot more, we are aware of that. The most important thing was qualifying and nobody cares about anything else today.”

Wales went into their first ever shootout with 10 men after Chris Mepham was sent off in added time of extra time for a second yellow card but they matched Poland until James’ miss.

It was the first time since 2012 that Wales, whose talismanic record scorer Gareth Bale retired after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, had failed to qualify for the Euros.

Defender Ben Davies, captain in the continued absence of midfielder Aaron Ramsey, had the home fans roaring when he headed into the net on the stroke of halftime but it was confirmed as offside by VAR after the linesman had flagged.

Striker Kieffer Moore also had a looping header well saved by Szczesny in the second half, while Poland’s Jakub Piotrowski shot just over the bar in extra time.

“It is a cruel game, that’s what I’ve said to the players,” said Wales manager Rob Page, whose side thrashed Finland 4-1 in the playoff semi-final last week and had home advantage again.

“One kick away from qualifying and it hurts.

“I thought we were the better team. My message to the players at halftime was: ‘We are the better team, we will go on to win this game’.”

Poland, with captain and talismanic forward Robert Lewandowski stepping up to score the first penalty after a confident shimmy to send Danny Ward the wrong way, failed to produce a shot on target until then while Wales had four.

Davies calmly levelled the score at 1-1 in the shootout, Sebastian Szymanski kept Poland ahead and Moore made it 2-2 with a shot that bounced in off the bar.

Poland’s Przemyslaw Frankowski fired into the top corner and Wales’ Harry Wilson shot bravely down the middle, with Nicola Zalewski taking the score to 4-3 for the visitors before Neco Williams again equalised for the Welsh.

Pole Krzysztof Piatek then scored a fifth, leaving Leeds United forward James the task of extending the shootout to sudden death, but Szczesny dived the right way leaving his team to sing joyously with the delirious travelling fans.

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List of countries qualified for Euro 2024