In the final playoff, Ukraine procured a spot in the Euro 2024 after besting Iceland 2-1, a victory achieved due to Mykhailo Mudryk’s decisive late match goal. Despite the ongoing conflict with Russia preventing the team managed by Serhiy Rebrov from participating domestically, they still had massive support at the Tarczynski Arena in Poland, where a number of Ukrainian refugees have made their new residence following the 2022 outbreak of war in Ukraine.
Iceland’s Albert Gudmundsson kick-started the game by scoring a thrilling goal 30 minutes in. Roman Yaremchuk’s equaliser was discarded due to VAR just ahead of half-time. 10 minutes post half-time saw Ukraine balancing the scores with Viktor Tsygankov managing an impressive goal after a right-field cut. Mykhailo Mudryk of Chelsea bagged the winning goal, scored from the rim of the area with merely six minutes left on the clock, leading Ukraine straight to the finals.
Meanwhile, in a nail-biting playoff final that ended in a 0-0 stalemate post extra time, Georgia won a Euro 2024 place. They clinched a 4-2 victory over Greece in a penalty shootout. Georgia’s Nika Kvekveskiri converted the deciding penalty kick following Greece’s Giorgos Giakoumakis’ missed chance, which sent the local supporters into a frenzy seeing their team scrape through to the finals.
Greece’s first attempt from Anastasios Bakasetas was barred by the home team’s goalie Giorgi Mamardashvili after seizing the initial lead in the shootout, but Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze’s missed penalty attempt revived Greece’s dwindling hopes. However, Kvekveskiri steeled nerves to secure his penalty kick into the goal following Giakoumakis’ missing the fourth shot for Greece.
Having seen Georgia triumph over Luxembourg 2-0 in the semifinals, local fans had to hold their breath through the nerve-wracking shootout. Finally, the victors were decided and they celebrated the achievement with an enthusiasm never seen before. Georgia will compete in Group F with Portugal, Turkey, and the Czech Republic when the Euros kick off in Germany on June 14th.
The match was a disorganised and tense event with opportunities for goals rare throughout normal play. Emotions escalated just before half-time when both sidelines rushed onto the field, resulting in Georgia’s secondary goalkeeper, Giorgi Loria, receiving a red card.
The match began to pick up speed towards the conclusion of the first extra-time period, featuring Mamardashvili deflecting a strike from Bakasetas, while Konstantinos Mavropanos of Greece narrowly missed a goal by hitting the crossbar with his head.
Georgia subsequently almost pulled off a win when Georges Mikautadze set up Zuriko Davitashvili on the fringe of the six-yard zone. However, Davitashvili’s close attempt was thwarted by goalie Odysseas Vlachodimos, setting the stage for an inevitable penalty shoot-out.
Before kick-off, the expectant home supporters showed a banner stating “Breaking news, Georgia make history.” As it turned out, they had every reason to display it with pride as Kvekveskiri’s deciding penalty shot found its way to the goal, paving the way for Georgia’s team to proceed to Germany.