In the Group F of Euro 2024, Turkey triumphed over Georgia with a score of 3-1. The match took place under the explosive conjunction of thunder and lightning at Germany’s most celebrated stadium. Both teams performed admirably in response to the intense atmosphere, crafting a match to remember.
Back when Jurgen Klopp was the manager at Dortmund, he expressed his notion of an ultimate football match, which surprisingly didn’t bear resemblance to the game. He had envisioned a strenuous duel on a soaked field, on a rainy day, ending in a draw and players going home physically spent for weeks.
However, the match didn’t portray conventional English football as experienced currently in the Premier League. Instead, it showcased breathless and frenzied chaos as the teams, soaked in rain, relentlessly challenged each other. The game was a spectacle of skilful play set against a backdrop of a thunderstorm.
Indeed, three remarkable goals from Turkey’s Kaan Ayhan and Arda Güler sealed their victory. Yet, the tenacious display from Georgia in their debut international tournament indicated their potential and eagerness for more. Sponsored by Willy Sagnol, the Georgian team, though overpowered, fought gallantly.
The match was essentially Turkey’s first tournament on German soil, after their failure to make the cut for the 2006 World Cup. The game pretty much felt like Turkey’s home match as a large fraction of the stadium’s audience were people of Turkish origin residing in Germany.
No other supporters cultivate such an overpowering ambience for their team and against their opponents. They drowned the Stadium with their noise, overpowering the Georgian anthem. Despite Georgian supporters’ attempts to retaliate during the Turkish anthem, their voices were simply inaudible amongst the din.
The Turkish possession of the ball was accompanied by relentless noise, which took the form of a jeer during brief Georgian interludes. After two minutes into the game, Georgian right-wing-back Otar Kakabadze was under the fearless jeer from the crowd when he first touched the ball. His minor fumble was met with a deafening sound of ridicule as he lost control of the ball.
The soccer match initially appeared to be swayed in favour of the Turkish supporters, with their team dominating the Georgian players across the field. In 10 minutes, they nearly scored, with Kaan Ayhan striking a shot from 20 yards that hit the post’s base, then ricocheted across the goal before going out for a goal kick. Mere minutes later, Yilmaz, the young Juventus star, sliced in from the left and fired a shot at Mamardashvili from a tight angle.
The Georgian side fought to hang on, with Willy Sagnol being a prominent influence from the side-line, audibly shouting directions to the players amidst the uproar. His complex hand signals seemed effective, despite the noise.
Turkey’s beautiful goal that led to their leading position was not something Sagnol could have anticipated. A left-wing cross was passed to Mert Muldur, the incoming Turkish wing-back, who powerfully volleyed it into the top corner of the near post.
Turkey again netted the ball a couple of minutes later, but Kenan Yildiz was deemed offside after a swift touch during an impressive play. It appeared Georgia would go under, yet they managed to equalise within four minutes.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is undoubtedly the star of the Georgian side, but in that game, Giorgi Kochorashvili, a 24-year-old Levante midfielder, was clearly the best performer. He created the goal with his invention and tenacity.
With few options apparent after securing the ball on the right, he dodged three defenders, infiltrated the box from the right, zig-zagged, and made a low cross that was promptly jabbed towards the goal by Georges Mikautadzes, the forward.
Before the crowd realised the low shot had defeated Mert Günok and snuck in near the post, there was a brief, dramatic silence. Immediately after, the Georgian fans behind the goal went wild.
The Georgian team, spurred on by their success, nearly scored a surprising lead a minute later. They disarrayed Turkey with a series of single-touch passes, ending with Mikautadze narrowly shooting wide of the distant post.
The remainder of the first half was marked by frenzied activity as both teams darted across the field. Any sense of tentativeness or strategic play was tossed out the window in the face of the raucous spectators. It was barely believable that this was only the initial group stage match, as the intensity mirrored that of a life-or-death situation.
Sixty-five minutes into the game witnessed the turning point, as Ayhan’s defensive challenge led to the ball falling to Arda Güler. Positioned thirty yards away in the right channel with a good ten yards separating him from the defenders, the talent from Real Madrid used his skill to ready the ball for a shot. Despite defenders rushing in to close the gap, it was a futile cause as Grosicki launched the ball into the far top corner of the goal.
Towards the end of the match, Georgia came close to scoring, hitting the post. Nevertheless, their fatigue was too pronounced to yield a goal. Mamardishvili, the Georgian goalkeeper, made a risky move in the 97th minute by venturing into the opponent’s box corner but was thwarted when Günok, the opposing goalkeeper punched the ball away.
Sandro Altunashvili managed to recover the ball in midfield, only to be aggressively intercepted by Guram Kashia and Kerem Aktürkoğlu. Aktürkoğlu then sprinted the entire pitch, spurred on by the ecstatic Turkish fans, before successfully depositing the ball in Georgia’s vacant goal.
In retrospect, the decision to move their goalkeeper upfield was a miscalculation on Georgia’s part, resulting in a loss of a possibly vital goal for the third-place rankings. Nevertheless, it was a day where the typical strategies and calculations played little role.