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Georgia Pulls Off Huge Upset of Portugal at Euro 2024

Georgia is headed to the Round of 16 after a stunning upset.

Ryan Phillips

Georgia is through to the knockout rounds of Euro 2024 thanks to an improbable upset over one of the world's best teams. The tiny nation topped Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal 2–0 on Wednesday to earn a spot in the Round of 16.

The country's national team, nicknamed the Crusaders, entered the tournament as the lowest-rated team in FIFA's national team rankings. The 74th-ranked squad didn't see much possession but made it count during a high-profile matchup on the final day of the group stage.

Georgia got a shocking goal from Napoli's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the second minute to take control of the match. The goal came off a steal in transition with Georges Mikautadze finding him on the left side of the box. Kvaratskhelia made it count, slotting it past Diogo Costa.

Portugal reassumed command of the match and searched for an equalizer that never came. Georgia's defense was locked tight, and Giorgi Mamardashvili was phenomenal in net. The Valencia keeper made five saves, as Portugal fired 21 shots on the game and owned more than 72% of possession. Eventually his teammates were able to take advantage of another mistake by their opponents.

In the 53rd minute, Luka Lochoshvili drew a foul on Antonio Silva on the edge of the box. Georgia was awarded a penalty after a VAR check. Mikautadze stepped up to the spot and the FC Metz man didn't miss, giving his country a shocking 2-0 lead.

Portugal could never find a breakthrough and Georgia now finds itself among the best 16 European teams, advancing as the second-best third place team.

It is worth noting, Portuguese manager Roberto Martinez sat many of his first team players on Wednesday with his team's place atop Group F secured. Wins over Czechia and Turkey set them up well moving forward, so stalwarts like Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo, Pepe and Bernardo Silva stayed on the bench Wednesday. But even without those players, Georgia was a heavy underdog.

This is arguably the biggest upset in the history of the tournament, and undoubtedly biggest victory in the history of Georgia's national team.

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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

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