On July 1, the second day of the 1/8 finals of the European Cup, Georgia, ranked 74th in the world, challenged Spain, ranked 8th in the world, and finally lost to Spain 1-4, unfortunately out, ending his dark horse identity.
At the beginning of the game, the Spanish team almost completely controlled the tempo of the game, trying to find the attack, Pedri and Laporte and others frequently attacked, trying to break the Georgian defense through successive shots, but the Spanish team was never able to achieve a breakthrough, on the contrary, the Georgian defense performed well, and the excellent performance of goalkeeper Mamardashvili is particularly noteworthy, making several key saves in a row.
The decisive moment came in the 18th minute, when Georgia won a corner kick on a rare counter-attack, and in the chaos of the penalty area, Spain's Lenormand unluckily smashed the ball into his own net while trying to clear the ball, and this own goal gave Georgia a surprise lead.
Spain did not give up in the face of falling behind, they quickly adjusted their tactics and strengthened their attack, and as the game entered the 39th minute, Spain finally found a good chance to score, Williams' exquisite return pass set up Rodri, whose volley from outside the box finally helped Spain equalise.
In the second half, the Spanish team attacked more fiercely, and the 16-year-old Yamal sent a precise cross in the 51st minute, Ruiz headed the goal, and Spain overtook the score, after which the Spanish coach made decisive personnel changes to enhance the team's attacking power.
Georgia looked anxious after falling behind and tried to find an equaliser with a more open attack, but that strategy provided Spain with more counter-attacking opportunities, and a powerful strike from Williams in the 75th minute almost sealed the game.
In the final stages of the game, Spain's substitutes also showed their strength, and in the 83rd minute, Oyarzabal and Olmo combined to help Spain get a fourth goal, completely ending the suspense of the game.
The match was a contest of technique and tactics, as well as a contest of psychology and will, Spain experienced early setbacks, but they did not give up, but responded to the challenge with greater determination and teamwork, and this perseverance and final victory in the face of adversity undoubtedly presented a wonderful football feast for all spectators.
This match not only showcased the depth of Spain's strength, but also the small but not weak football spirit of Georgia, although the final victory belonged to Spain, the performance of the Georgian team also won the respect and praise of the fans, this match once again proved the unpredictability and charm of the football game, no matter the ranking, every minute on the field is full of possibilities.