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- A draw might give Georgia a chance at qualifying
- There will be scrutiny of Euro 2024 security after no fewer than six different fans invaded the field or tried to seek selfies with Cristiano Ronaldo
GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany: Portugal are already qualified for the European Championship knockout stages and can sign off from Group F in style with a third win when they play newcomer Georgia on Wednesday.
A draw might give Georgia a chance at qualifying, depending on results elsewhere, but they’re likely to need a shock win. The kickoff in Gelsenkirchen at the same time as group rivals the Czech Republic and Turkiye meet in Hamburg is 9 p.m. local time (1900 GMT).
There will be scrutiny of Euro 2024 security after no fewer than six different fans invaded the field or tried to seek selfies with Cristiano Ronaldo at Portugal’s 3-0 win over Turkiye.
Four of them reached Ronaldo. UEFA said on Sunday they increased security but there was another fan on the field on Monday as Spain beat Albania 1-0.
On their major tournament debut, Georgia have won praise for their battling style of play and nearly beat the Czech Republic in their second game if not for a last-second miss. Beating Portugal would be a huge upset and would guarantee Georgia a spot in the round of 16.
Georgia will know before kickoff if a draw will potentially be enough to qualify as one of the four best third-place teams, or if only a win will do. If Georgia draw, they would still require the Czech Republic to lose against Turkiye, though.
Moreover, Ronaldo has yet to score at Euro 2024 and could potentially be rested against Georgia, since Portugal has won Group F no matter what.
Coach Willy Sagnol said Georgia midfielder Otar Kiteishvili missed the first two matches amid fitness concerns but is available to face Portugal
One of the records the 39-year-old Ronaldo can break is that of oldest ever goal-scorer at the European Championships. Croatia’s Luka Modric scored on Monday at age 38 against Italy to set a new record.
Two more milestones for experienced Portuguese players: Ronaldo can play his 210th international game and 41-year-old Pepe can play his 140th.
It’s 18 years since Ronaldo and Sagnol last faced off at a major tournament in Germany. Sagnol was the right back on the France team which beat Ronaldo’s Portugal 1-0 in the 2006 World Cup semifinals.
Meanwhile, Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa on fans invading the field said: “It’s clearly an annoying situation, both for us and for our opponents. It worries us, we’ve already made the statement and let’s hope that the situation improves in the next games, so that the football is richer.”
“The Georgian fans should expect more from me because I haven’t done the maximum I can do. And I will try to show that in the match versus Portugal and hopefully I can assist the team to gain a victory,” said Georgia star forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.