Football: Georgia enjoys shock win over European champions Spain

Georgia’s national football team has defeated current European champions Spain in a shocking upset that stunned the team, the crowd and the world.

Spain challenged Georgia in a friendly match on their own turf on Tuesday but the result left the Spaniards scratching their head after Georgia defeated the home side.

Georgia scored the game's only goal and defended their lead for a final score 1-0.

The match served as a preparation game for Spain ahead of the upcoming Euro 2016 tournament.

Georgia has not qualified for Euro 2016 but the team was recently appointed a new coach in Vladimir Weiss. Tuesday’s match in Getafe, Spain allowed the Slovakian coach to evaluate changes he brought to the team, with the game ending positively for the Georgian side.

Georgia's midfielder Tornike Okriashvili (R) deflects a cross from Jaba Jighauri to open the score in the match against Spain. Photo from FIFA/AFP.

FIFA, the world football governing body, acknowledged the famous win for Georgia in a tweet following the game:

Spain 0-1 Georgia 7 June 2016: A day Georgia football fans won't soon forget Photos: https://t.co/kLfuyxPOB3pic.twitter.com/7ebG4CeKSo

— FIFA.com (@FIFAcom) 7 June 2016

Against a full-strength Spanish team that dominated three European Championship and World Cup tournaments from 2008-2012, Georgia put forward a solid defence to protect their lead after midfielder Tornike Okriashvili's goal at 40 minutes, just before the end of the first half.

Okriashvili deflected a cross by teammate Jaba Jighauri after the latter broke into Spain's penalty area during Georgia's counter-attack.

The hosts increased their pressure on Georgia's defence for the rest of the match, particularly in the seven extra minutes added by the referee following the 90 minutes of play.

Georgia’s coach Vladimir Weiss noted the psychological effect of the win in his post-match comments. Photo from the Georgian Football Federation/Facebook.

But the Georgian side defended well and held on to the record win, which will boost the team's confidence and their prospects of qualifying for the 2018 Football World Cup in Russia.

Georgia's coach spoke about the psychological effect of the result in his post-match press conference, noting the win would "bring back the self-belief" in the team after Georgia’s recent defeat in a friendly match against Romania on June 3.

Georgia will play its opening qualifying match for the 2018 World Cup tournament in capital Tbilisi against Austria on September 5.