After a scare, the Roja dominates the Georgians and guarantees itself for the duel against Germany in the quarter-finals
Spain is in the quarter-finals of the European Championship. La Roja beat Georgia 4-1, this Sunday (30), at the RheinEnergieStadion, in Cologne, and consolidates itself as one of the favorites for the title. Despite the gap in the standings, the Spanish were largely superior throughout the match and arrive strong to the duel against Germany, next Friday (05), at 13:00 (Brasilia time), in Stuttgart.
Spain suffocates, gets scared, but finds the equalizer
The first half was completely dominated by Spain. Having over 80% possession in the opening minutes, La Roja showed a lot of offensive strength and posed a lot of danger to Georgia. In the 4th minute, Pedri forced goalkeeper Mamardashvili into a great save, after taking advantage of Carvajal’s cross. The Georgian archer returned in the 10th minute, preventing the Spanish goal after a rebound in the area. Subsequently, Nico Williams took a risk from the edge of the area, but saw the Georgian defense eliminate the danger.
Cornered and having serious difficulty breaking out of the pressure, Georgia dreamed of the perfect counterattack: and they got there, with doses of luck. In a great escape from Kakabadze on the right, the full-back enters the area and sees Le Normand anticipate Kvaratskhelia, but complete against his own goal. Even behind the scoreboard, Spain continues to press and begins to abuse medium and long-range shots, with Rodri, Pedri, Laporte and Cucurella, who clash with Mamardashvili’s lack of aim and good defense.
Meanwhile, Georgia tried to explore counterattacks more, but struggled with the final pass. In one of these errors, the team gave in to Nico Williams: the attacker received on the left and hit Mamardashvili’s corner, again saving the Georgians. But not even the goalkeeper’s miracles were enough to prevent the Spanish equalizer: in the 38th minute, in another good move by Williams, the winger found Rodri in the middle, who hit the corner of the goal, with no escape for the archer. Spain went into half-time tied, but with a sense of injustice due to the opportunities created.
La Roja turns pressure into defeat
The second half began as the first had ended: Spain pressed and Georgia counterattacked. In the first seconds Fabian Ruiz played with Morata and finished to the right of the Georgian goal. Shortly after, Kvaratskhelia saw goalkeeper Unai Simón out of goal, took a risk from midfield and almost scored an incredible goal.
Spain would respond to the good move with a comeback. Lamine Yamal was fouled on the edge of the area, took a nice shot and saw Mamardashvili save; After the move, the number 19 received the ball on the right and headed in a cross from Fabian Ruiz, giving the Spaniards the lead on the scoreboard. With the result, La Roja had more comfort in controlling the match. Coach Luis de la Fuente replaced Pedri, Cucurella and Morata with midfielder Dani Olmo, full-back Grimaldo and striker Oyarzabal to work even better on ball possession.
Needing a result, Georgia still tries to speculate on counterattacks, but gives up space, especially on the wings: on a beautiful play by Yamal, the Georgians even score an own goal, disallowed for offside by the Spanish striker. But the third goal of the Roja was inevitable. In another descent, this time on the left, Nico Williams dodged the defense and scored a paint job.
Very hungry, Spain turns the victory into a defeat: Dani Olmo crosses the line and hits Mamardashvili’s corner. In the final minutes, La Roja continued to control the game and showed why they are considered one of the favorites for the European title. The 4-1 defines the strength of Spain in the fight for the Champions Cup.
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
