Georgian national football team exits Euro 2024 after last 16 defeat to Spain

The Georgian national football team was on Sunday defeated by Spain in the round of 16 of the ongoing European Championship in Germany to exit the tournament after an impressive first appearance.

Spain came back in the game after conceding an own goal to beat Georgia 4-1 at the Düsseldorf Arena.

Georgian head coach Willy Sagnol said the team would be “overjoyed at how the Euro 2024 went [for them] once the disappointment of the defeat lifts”.

“We're a bit sad because we lost. But l'm sure in some days we will realise what we have done, and I'm sure happiness is going to come back very quickly”, Sagnol said.

The official UEFA match report also praised the Georgian team for its performance at its first major tournament by saying for them the 2024 edition marked “a tournament to be proud of”.

The squad qualified for the knockout round of the Championship as the best third-placed team in the group stage, where they finished behind Portugal and Turkey in Group F after defeating the former 2-0 in the final game of the round.

They also lost to Turkey on the opening matchday before drawing with Czechia.