In a nail-biting standoff in Hamburg, Georgia and Czechia’s Group F confrontation ended in a deadlock at 1-1, jeopardizing both teams’ journey to the last sixteen. Saba Lobjanidze squandered a critical opportunity in the dying moments.
Patrik Schick, the illustrious striker who previously tied with Cristiano Ronaldo for the Golden Boot, leveled the scores in the second half, neutralizing Georges Mikautadze’s early penalty.
Georgia’s lone goal appeared just before intermission, following Robin Hranac’s inadvertent handball in the box, confirmed by VAR.
Earlier, VAR had nullified a potential Czechia lead when it revealed that Adam Hlozek had incidentally used his arm to guide the ball into the net.
Despite VAR’s interference, Schick faced no obstacles and managed to score at minute fifty-nine. However, injury soon forced him off the pitch.
In the dramatic final moments, Lobjanidze lofted a shot over the bar during a face-off with the goalie, nearly clinching a last-gasp victory for Georgia.
The potential stunner from the tournament newbies fell short despite their goalie, Giorgi Mamardashvili’s record-breaking eleven saves. They must now outplay Portugal to advance.
Debrief on Data: Schick Leads the Euros
Having tallied six goals in his last two Euro appearances, Schick surpasses both Ronaldo and Harry Kane who have five each.
With a stellar scoring pace of 0.86 goals per game, only Michel Platini, at 1.8, boasts a better ratio in the Euro annals among those playing at least five games.
