The Turkish and Georgian national teams completed the lineup of teams advancing to the Round of 16 of the UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany, following their respective victories over Czechia (2-1) and the already qualified Portugal (2-0) in the third and final round of Group 6 on Wednesday. In Group 5, the Georgian team made history by reaching the knockout stage in their first-ever continental appearance, while Turkey advanced to the knockout rounds for the first time since 2008. Turkey will face Austria in the next round, while Georgia will meet Spain. The Czech team failed to qualify, finishing last in the group with only one point.
In Gelsenkirchen, the Georgian team celebrated their biggest victory in history, thanks to goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (2) and Giorgi Mikautadze (57, penalty).
"It was a deserved win," said Portuguese coach Roberto Martínez after the match. He made 8 changes to the starting lineup, having already secured qualification and topped the group since the second round. "We conceded an early goal, which Georgia needed. We weren't good at finishing our attacks, and their goalkeeper performed excellently. We tried to score but couldn't, which allowed Georgia to believe more. They deserved the win."
Cristiano Ronaldo was kept in the starting lineup, marking his 28th match in the history of the Euro, becoming the first European player ever to play 50 matches in major tournaments. João Félix made his debut for the Portuguese national team in the tournament.
The Georgian team qualified as one of the best third-placed teams, raising their points to 4, behind the first-placed Portugal (6), who secured their position with a direct victory (3-0) over second-placed Turkey.
In the second match in Hamburg, Turkey reached the knockout stages of a major tournament for the first time in 16 years after a difficult win against Czechia, who played most of the match with ten players. Hakan Çalhanoğlu (51) and substitute Cenk Tosun (90+4) scored for Turkey, while Tomáš Souček scored for Czechia (66).
Turkey confirmed their dominance in their third encounter against Czechia in the Euro, having won the first two matches (3-2 in 2008 after being down 0-2, and 2-0 in 2016), both of which were played in the final round of the group stage as well.
Czech midfielder Antonín Barák received a harsh yellow card for a foul (11) before getting a second yellow and red card for another foul (20), putting his team, which started strongly, in a tough position to complete the remaining minutes with ten players. Just as the match seemed headed for a draw, substitute Tosun snatched victory after a solo effort, skillfully maneuvering past defenders and shooting powerfully (90+4).
