Czechia’s recent 1-1 tussle with Georgia left them in a pickle, teetering on the brink at Euro 2024.
The draw stirred some gutsy resolve in Patrik Schick. He upped his goal tally, sidestepping Milan Baros to become Czechia’s premier scorer at the Euros.
Despite peppering the Georgian goal with 27 shots, Czechia failed to clinch a win, a rarity that left them ruing what might have been.
Toward the match’s climax, Georgia nearly snatched victory, but Saba Lobjanidze flubbed his golden chance, blasting the ball skyward.
Post-match, Schick, the Bayer Leverkusen sharpshooter, conceded, “1-1 simply doesn’t cut it. Our aim was superior, but finishing was off, and it nearly cost us dearly.”
“We must risk it all against Turkiye,” Schick added, eyes on the prize.
So, the stage is set for a showdown with Turkiye for Czechia, both squads hungry for a move to the next round.
Czechia boasted a 3.11 expected goals (xG) rate, overshadowing their opponents. Lobjanidze’s late blunder bore a slim 0.16 xG.
Georgia’s keeper, Giorgi Mamardashvili, shrugged off the miss, praising Lobjanidze’s zeal although the net remained untouched. “Keep the faith and train hard; he’s destined to score soon,” Mamardashvili encouraged.
Mamardashvili’s performance didn’t go unnoticed, earning him the match’s top honors, a feat surpassed only once at the Euros since 1980.
