Spain vs Georgia: Unlikely opponents battle for spot in quarter-finals

Originally posted on Top-soccer.com

Three-time Euro winners Spain will take on debutants Georgia as the unlikely opponents will fight for a quarter-finals berth on Sunday. Certainly, no one expected this match-up to be on the cards at the start of this competition, but the beautiful thing about football is indeed its unpredictability.

Spain, as many expected, finished top of Group B after earning wins over Croatia (3-0), Italy (1-0), and Albania (1-0). Luis de la Fuente’s team are the only side not to concede a single goal so far at this competition, and come into the round of 16 having won all three of their group stage matches since 2008 – when they won the Euro title. Impressively, de la Fuente fielded mostly a “B” team against Albania as Spain had already secured a spot in the round of 16, and La Roja nonetheless were able to get the job done thanks to a solitary goal from Barcelona striker Ferran Torres.

Spain will have stiffer opposition coming down the pipeline, as they might end up taking on Germany, who also have won three Euro titles, in the quarter-finals before potentially facing France in the semi-finals. That being said, Les Bleus have not been impressive at all, and it’s safe to say that Spain will be watching France’s upcoming round of 16 clash against Belgium to see if Didier Deschamps’s squad finally wake up out of their stupor.

Although on paper Spain’s upcoming match looks straight forward – after all, they have won six of their last seven meetings against Georgia – they will not be taking their opponents lightly. After all, Spain suffered a humiliating early exit at the hands of Morocco, who went on to become the first African nation to reach the World Cup semi-finals, so despite their strong record against Georgia, which includes a pair of 7-1 and 3-1 wins during Euro qualifiers, they will be very wary of what the debutants may have in store on Sunday.

Georgia definitely will be hopeful of another major upset on Sunday after beating Portugal 2-0 to earn their first ever appearance in the round of 16. That win meant that Willy Sagnol’s men earned a ticket to the round of 16 as one of the best third placed teams, and it showed an admirable level of determination for the minnows to be able to fight back after a rough start to their first ever European championship. Although they lost their tournament opener 3-1, they rebounded excellently to secure a vital point in a 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic, and then really got people taking following a 2-0 win against Portugal, who had already qualified for the round of 16.

Forward Georges Mikautadze has scored in every single one of Georgia’s three matches, and his three goals have made him an early contender for this summer’s Golden Boot. Meanwhile, Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia now has written his name into the history books when he scored 93 seconds after the game kicked off, and Serie A fans certainly will be well aware of what the talented attacker is capable of. The hopeful debutants have been dealt a huge blow due to key player Anzor Mekvabishvili’s suspension for too many cards, but will certainly be relying on shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who has been very impressive in between the sticks so far for the minnows at this summer’s competition.

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