(Spain – Georgia 4-1) Everything is set for the European Championship quarter-final against hosts Germany after some hilarious Spanish goals against Georgia.
Starring: Lamine Yamal (16) and Nico Williams (21).
Georgia are ranked 74th in the world, while Spain are ranked 8th. So it was David versus Goliath in Cologne, and as expected, David and the magic of European football came to pass, at least as long as his strength lasted.
After that, Spain played 4-1.
The quarter-final match against Germany will be held on Friday at 18:00.
– It's great to see Spain's attacking power with Yamal and Williams, says Age Hareide in the NRK studio.
– They could become two of the leading figures in the European Community. There's something special about this boy, he says of the 16-year-old Yamal, who did everything except score against Georgia.
Yamal is the first teenager since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2004 to score two goals in the European Football Championship.
According to the BBC, Neco Williams is the first player in the European Championship since 1980 to score, assist and complete 100 percent of his passes in a match he started.
– These two players give other teams chills down the spine. They create all sorts of problems, says ITV expert Gary Neville.
“He did it for Barcelona, now he's doing it for the national team. We forget he's 16,” former national team player Gaizka Mendieta says on ITV about Yamal.
– Rodri vs Toni Kroos will be a tough duel in the quarter-finals, says Karl-Erik Torp on NRK broadcast.
“This match will have a lot, it is an unparalleled pleasure,” says Haridi.
Spain has won European Championship gold three times, first in 1964, then in 2008 and at the subsequent 2012 European Championship. Now Spanish fans are hoping for new success.
- After playing for 17 minutes, Georgia took a 1-0 lead when star player Hvicha Kvaratskhilia (23, Napoli) put pressure on Spain's Robin Le Normand into his own net.
- Rodri (28, Manchester City) scored Spain's equaliser to make it 1-1 in the 39th minute. The VAR checked for possible offside but found that Alvaro Morata was not part of the play and awarded the goal.
- Early in the second half, it was clear that Spain were leading 2-1 when Fabian Ruiz (28, Paris Saint-Germain) managed to head the ball into the net from just over two metres out. It is difficult then to be a goalkeeper.
- In hilarious fashion, Neco Williams (21, Athletic Bilbao) made it 3-1 with a brilliant volley.
- Dani Olmo (26, RB Leipzig) simply and beautifully put the ball into the net to make it 4-1.
This year, Spain won all three of its group stage matches, having not done so since the gold medal in 2008.
Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili (23 years old, Valencia) had previously blocked 16 of the last 17 shots against him. It won't be long before he's involved in this match as well. He kept a clean sheet until the 39th minute.
Three minutes after the start of the second half, Kvaratskhelia shot a ball from the midfield, but the ball narrowly missed the Spanish goal. Thus, Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao) can breathe a sigh of relief. He still has not conceded a single goal from his opponents in this year's European Championship.
Englishman Jude Bellingham was confused after this question:
Lamine Yamal (16) added the post to the goal for 2-1, and he was completely on fire. If Spain reaches the final, he will have time to turn 17.
Georgia sensationally reached the round of 16 after defeating Portugal 2-0. Controversial oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili thought it was worth a gift of just under NOK 115 million to the team.
Spain and Georgia were both in the Norwegian EC qualifying group. Spain beat Scotland, Norway and Georgia, who reached the EC via the 'kitchen route' via the UEFA Nations League.
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