Key events
Full time! Spain 4-1 Georgia
Spain are through to the European Championship quarter-finals where they will meet hosts Germany after staging an impressive comeback against Georgia. The underdogs scored first through a Le Normand own goal but they equalised with a Rodri goal before half-time. Goals from Olmo, Williams and Fabian saw Spain seal the win.
90 + 3 min: Spain win a free kick and they take it short, Navas makes a great run and it’s crossed in. Georgia do enough to clear it but Williams is on the deck in pain. I think he takes a boot to the calf but he is soon up and okay to continue.
90 + 1 min: Spain winding down the clock now, it is all but sealed that they will face hosts Germany in the quarter-final, what a game that will be. There will be three added minutes.
89 min: Georgia win the ball back and they plot to find their second in this match, it is deflected out for a corner. The delivery is good and it’s headed but out again for yet another set piece. The ball only finds a Spanish foot though.
87 min: Spain want five as they come streaming forward once again and it is starting to look like a cat playing with a mouse in Cologne.
85 min: The scoreline won’t tell the story of this game, it won’t convey Georgia’s electricity in the first half. But what it does tell the rest of the competition is Spain can overcome going behind, something they haven’t had to do so far.
Yamal had just missed a good chance and Spain set up once again, it falls to Olmo who controls so skilfully. He takes a look at the keeper and sends it into the left hand corner.
GOAL! Spain 4-1 Georgia (Olmo, 83)
Too easy.
82 min: The corner comes in but a Georgian player is fouled and so the chance is gone.
81 min: Yamal is the absolute star of this tournament and he almost makes it four but Mamardashvili closes the chance down well. It goes out for a corner.
79 min: Is that the game now? I would say so. When Georgia were only a goal behind I could see one goal on the break equalising but two? It’s unlikely but you never know, some Euros magic may be sprinkled.
77 min: Spain fans are going crazy, after going behind early in this one they are showing why they are favourites in this tournament.
Williams made a fantastic run with Spain countering, he was composed and didn’t rush his effort. He made sure hr took it around the defender before launching it into the net. A deserved goal for one of the best players on the pitch. Williams celebrates with a great dance to camera.
GOAL! Spain 3-1 Georgia (Williams, 75)
Deserved goal.
74 min: I think Kári Tulinius has come up with the perfect desciption of this Georgian team:
If this is the last we see of Georgia, I will miss them. Watching them break forward is thrilling, the whole team is like a coiled spring which is released when they win the ball.
I’d take a punt at putting it better myself but I’m unsure if I could.
73 min: Davitashvili is shown a yellow card for a challenge on Olmo. The resulting free kick is taken quickly and Spain have a lot of build-up to put in to create something from this. They do manage to get it into the box, eventually, but Mamardashvili gets it gingerly away.
71 min: Spain painstakingly build an attack with several passes involved and it falls to Fabian. He sees his name up in lights and lashes it over the bar, not the finish he had in mind.
69 min: Georgian fans are still making their voices heard in Cologne, a thunder clap to urge their team on. It inspires a great run from Tsitaishvili but instead of opting to pass in the area but he takes it himself and it’s out for a goal kick.
67 min: Williams, who is having an excellent game, is the taker once more. It is a brilliant delivery and Le Normand gets a touch to it but his effort is wide. Le Normand has scored this evening already but it was an own goal. Spain make more changes with Grimaldo and Oyarzabal on.
65 min: Lochoshvili and Chakvetadze are off for Gocholeishvili and Davitashvili as Georgia make more changes. The news that Spain have won a corner won’t surprise you.
64 min: The pace of the Spanish game has slowed, the second goal just settling their nerves after conceding their first goal of the tournament in this match. Georgia almost have a defensive blunder as it is given away cheaply at the back and Yamal pounces but his effort is wide. The 16-year-old continues to impress on one of the biggest stages.
62 min: At this stage I can’t remember the last time Georgia had more than two passes with the ball, Spain are just showing their experience in protecting their lead. But they do have to still be wary of Georgia’s countering theat.
60 min: Spain are having all of the ball at the moment but Georgia are still defending well, they haven’t panicked after conceding again but they will need to through an attacking punch of their own soon. But it is Yamal who creates the next chance but winning a corner. It is taken quickly and comes to the edge of the box but it blocked.
59 min: Carvajal is down injured but is quickly back to his feet. Spain using all of the game management tools at their disposal.
57 min: The sharks are swarming outside the box and Morata takes a shot but it is wide, the momentum is all with Spain now.
55 min: Spain smell blood and they are on the hunt for a third, if they score again the game may be gone for Georgia. Whenever they come forward I have the Jaws theme song in my head.
54 min: Spain make their first change with Pedri off for Olmo.
The ball came out after the save from Mamardashvili, Yamal quickly got it back into the area and Fabian gets it into the back of the net.
GOAL! Spain 2-1 Georgia (Fabian, 52)
We have our first free kick of the second half and it goes to Spain. It is Yamal who takes it and my word, what a save from Mamardashvili. But they come again and Fabian heads home.
50 min: Georgia keep reminding Spain of their threat as they break again, Kvaratskhelia makes a good run but he spots Simon off of his line and so he launches a long range effort but it is wide. Wow, that would have been quite a goal.
48 min: Georgia are on the break now and it is when these moves are put together that they are their most deadly but a good run from Laporte sees the opportunity gone.
47 min: Spain are lively early doors and in the first minute of the second half they have a chance through Fabian but his effort is wide.
Back underway! Spain 1-1 Georgia
The second half has begun and this tie is living up to the expectation. Either side could win and if the scoreline remains as it is we will head to extra time and maybe penalties.
Brad Wilson has messaged me on X to get involved with our ‘if players were food chat’ and said:
How about a spicy feta cheese blend on a crunchy flatbread for Nico Williams
I can see this, he has been zest of this Spain team so far this evening. Great set piece deliveries and a peach of a ball to Rodri for their equaliser.
Georgia have played really well in this tie so far, particularly their goalkeeper Mamardashvili. Despite conceding late on in the first half he has made at least four good saves and so Spain could be at least 2-1 up by now.
Here are the goals so far:
Half-time! Spain 1-1 Georgia
Well who would have predicted this scoreline at kick-off? Georgia weathered an early Spanish storm and Le Normand hit in an own goal but Spain rallied and equalised through Rodri. This tie is in the balance and it’s a difficult one to call.
45 + 2 min: Spain have a corner in the dying moments in this half. It’s hit in well but Lochoshvili sees it out for another corner. The second corner is cleared well.
45 min: Morata is shown a yellow card, the first of the game, as he stands on Lochoshvili’s foot. There will be two minutes added.
44 min: As we head to half-time let’s hear from one of you.
Simon Eckford has emailed and said:
“If the minimal handball was a penalty for Germany last night, why isn’t slightly contact on their attacker’s foot a penalty for Georgia. There wasn’t much contact, but it was intentional which the handball wasn’t.”
I understand your point of view but I think in this case the decision went the right way. Should last night’s been a penalty? I don’t think so.
42 min: In the build-up to Spain’s goal Kiteishvili was injured and so Altunashvili comes on.
41 min: The Georgian fans had started to get excited with the announcement off a check but it’s very quickly given. It remains 1-1.
40 min: Hang on! They are checking this for offside.
Williams spots Rodri on the edge of the box and he takes a touch to rifle it into the bottom right hand corner. Rodri runs over to the bench and they swarm him, just shows how much pressure they have been under so far.
GOAL! Spain 1-1 Georgia (Rodri, 38)
Who else?
38 min: Carvajal slips as Spain came forward for yet another attack, that has happened a lot to the Spanish player since the rain started to fall. I thought once they conceded Spain would respond with a vengeance but Georgia’s defence has been hugely impressive.
36 min: Here come Spain and Cucurella takes a punt but Mamardashvili makes his fourth good save of the match.
35 min: Georgia win a corner, their first of the game as they continue to grow into this last 16 fixture. It comes in but it doesn’t reach the head of Kiteishvili and rolls out for a goal kick.
34 min: Just a reminder that the last time these two teams played one another Spain won 7-1 before the tournament began. Of course there is absolutely buckets of time left in this game but their progress in a short period of time is impressive.
32 min: Mikautadze makes a great run and he just keeps on coming, he makes it into the area but Le Normand takes him down. The referee doesn’t give a penalty and it’s a fair call, he seemed to go down without much contact.
31 min: Georgia break again and this is where this team is thriving, the ball is passed to Kochorashvili whose shot is saved by Simon. I think everyone but Spain fans will be willing Georgia on.
30 min: If the scoreline remains as it is would this be the biggest shock in Euros history? I think it would. Anyway, back to the game and Laporte takes a shot from over 30 yards out and it’s off target.
28 min: Laporte is at the heart of Spain’s attack at the moment and he has several touches in their latest attempt. It falls to Pedri but his 18-yard effort over the bar.
26 min: It has just started to rain in Cologne, just to add more atmosphere to this thrilling encounter. Kvaratskhelia starts another Georgian attack but Spain make good recovery runs to make sure they block. Spain need to halt this Georgian momentum, it’s all with the underdogs at the moment.
24 min: The goal has gone down as a Le Normand own goal, he has been judged to have had the last touch.
Justin Kavanagh has got involved in our ‘if players were food what would they be?’ chat:
“Surely young Lamine Yamal is a pumpkin, given his nocturnal curfew concerns? As for Georges Mikautadze, he is a very tasty khinkali, a Georgian soup dumpling that is slippery on the outside, but always delivers the meat broth on the inside.”
I like those selections, keep them coming.
22 min: The noise in the stadium has cranked up exponentially. This is Georgia’s first Euros and they are leading one of the favourites for this tournament. Spain are hunting for this equaliser and Fabian has a shot but it is hero Mamardashvili who saves once again.
