Shortly after England limped through, European heavyweights Spain joined them in the 2024 European Championship (EURO 2024) quarter-finals, claiming a commanding 4-1 victory over Georgia at the Mungersdorfer Stadium. The Crusaders, who made history by qualifying for the Round-of-16 in their first-ever EURO campaign, did create a decent number of goalscoring opportunities. However, their finishing was not up to the mark on Sunday night (June 30).
Spain Overcome Own Goal To Secure EURO 2024 Quarter-Final Spot
Spain — the only team with a 100% record in EURO 2024 — enjoyed a bright start to the game, creating their first goalscoring opportunity just four minutes in. Lamine Yamal drove deep into the Georgian half before laying the ball off to Dani Carvajal. The Real Madrid right-back squared it to Pedri inside the box, but the Barcelona midfielder’s tame effort was easily collected by Georgian goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.
In the 18th minute, calamity struck on the other end of the pitch, as Spanish defender Robin Le Normand bundled the ball into his own net. Otar Kakabadze delivered an inviting low cross into the Real Madrid box for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to attack. The Napoli winger was stuck behind Le Normand, but the defender failed to deal with the awkward bounce and sent it into his own net. Spain, however, were not behind for much long, with them scoring the equalizer through Rodri in the 39th minute. The Manchester City man did ever so well to create space outside the box and dispatched a low drive to find the bottom-right corner with his left foot.
Spain pulled in front in the 51st minute, with Fabian Ruiz applying a simple headed finish to Yamal’s delivery from the right flank. La Roja then landed the knockout punch in the 75th minute, thanks to a brilliant solo goal from Nico Williams. Blitzing into the box from the left, he blasted the ball into the roof of the Georgian net. Lastly, Dani Olmo wrapped up the party with a fine strike, applying a left-footed finish to find the left side of Georgia’s goal. Mamardashvili was rooted to the spot as he saw the ball cross the goal line.
Luis De La Fuente Lauds His Players’ Game Management
After the game, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente heaped praise on his players for bouncing back strongly following the own goal. Speaking to the press, he said (via Diario AS):
“I have to give full credit to the team. They’re the ones who interpret these situations, when to run, when to stay, and when to keep possession.
“Anxiety can spread, but we stayed calm, and the goals arrived. It’s a step forward and an improvement.”
Following their thumping win in the EURO 2024 Round of 16, Spain will face a familiar foe, Germany, in the quarter-finals on Friday, July 5.
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