Georgia’s national blind football team to play at European Championships

Georgia will compete at the 2017 Blind Football European Championships in Germany’s capital of Berlin after claiming one of the only two spots for progressing to the tournament last week.

Led by their top goalscorer Giorgi Basilashvili the Georgian national team defeated four opposing teams at the qualifying stage for the competition before conceding the final game to hosts Romania.

With the two top-placed teams progressing from the qualifiers to the European Championships, Romania and Georgia claimed the two tickets for the tournament.

The semifinal match between Georgia and Greece was decided by a penalty shootout. Photo: IBSA Blind Football.

At the group stage of the qualifiers the Georgian team eased past Albania with a score 7-0 and hosts Romania 5-0, before also claiming a 1-0 win against Ireland.

Trained by coach Giorgi Papov, the national team faced Greece in the semifinal, with the game played on April 7.

The two halves of the match finished in a goalless draw before the result of the game was decided by the penalty shootout. Georgia’s Basilashvili showcased his goalscoring talent, finding the net with a crucial goal to give his team a 1-0 win that guaranteed their progression to the European Championships.

The win also saw Georgia reach the final of the qualifying stage, again facing home favourites Romania. This time the game favoured the hosts who took the ultimate win with a score 1-0.

Georgia celebrate claiming one of two spots for the European Championships after defeating Greece. Photo: IBSA Blind Football.

The Georgian team’s successful performance at the qualifiers was also underlined when Basilashvili was named the top scorer of the stage, with Irakli Mandaria claiming the best goalkeeper title.

Following the qualifying tournament players of the team were hosted in Tbilisi by Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs of Georgia Tariel Khechikashvili.

The reception at the ministry saw the team receive praise from the minister who also wished them success in their quest to claim the right to participate in the upcoming 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan.

Georgia's Sport Minister Tariel Khechikashvili congratulated the team on their success at the tournament. Photo: Georgia’s Sport Ministry press office.

The 2017 European Championships will be held in Berlin from August 17-27.

Organised by the International Blind Sports Federation, the tournament will be hosted in the German capital by the German Sports Federation for Persons with Disabilities and the Berlin Disability Sports Association.