COLOGNE, Germany — Spain enjoyed almost total control of Euro 2024 win over Georgia and was now looking forward with confidence to a quarter-final against Germany, coach Luis de la Fuente said.
Spain came back after conceding an own goal to beat Georgia 4-1 in their last-16 tie at the Duesseldorf Arena on Sunday and were praised by their coach for an efficient performance.
“I think we controlled the game at all times with brilliant stages of play against an opponent that defended really well and was good on the counter attack.
“We need to properly value how important this
victory is, because our opponent was a really good team,” De la Fuente said according to Reuters.
Spain fell behind when centre back Robin Le Normand turned Otar Kakabadze’s bouncing cross into his own net but were level at halftime before going on to dominate the second half.
“We knew that Georgia’s danger came from the transition and counter attack, but they didn’t have any shots on goal,” De la Fuente added.
“Of course, when they scored we were a bit nervous for a while, but we created so many chances that the result could have been 8-1 to us.”
Spain next takes on hosts Germany in Stuttgart on Friday in the quarterfinals.
“We have a lot of confidence and a team with talent, quality and commitment. Being convinced of your ability is very important. I don’t want to offend anyone but we have the best team at this tournament,” said De la Fuente.
“Germany is a fantastic team, they have some of the best players in the world and they are very organised, very disciplined. But they will face a team that is very similar to them, very committed, very well organised, difficult to overcome, hungry with lots of ambition.
“I know it’s the usual thing to say but in football it’s the small details that will decide the match and what happens in the end,” he added.
A 4-1 loss to Spain ended Georgia’s maiden participation in a major finals at the last-16 stage, and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili expects Spain to go on to win Euro 2024 after a classy display.
The Spaniards went behind due to an own goal in the 18th minute but never lost their composure, cantering into the quarterfinals thanks to goals from Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, Nico Williams and Dani Olmo.
“I think Spain are the favourites for this tournament and they will become champions. It’s a pity that we met this team, but it’s okay, it’s not the end. We will come back stronger,” Mamardashvili said according to Reuters.
“Of course, it’s sad that we lost in the round of 16, but we should also be happy about it, because not long ago we couldn’t have imagined that we would reach this far,” he added.
The Georgians became one of the feelgood stories of the tournament by beating Portugal 2-0 in their final Group F game to make it to the knockout stages, all while trying to play expansive football against more illustrious opponents.
Captain Guram Kashia said his side were disappointed to be heading home, and that the loss of leading striker Otar Kiteishvili to injury proved a big blow.
“We played well in the first half (against Spain), in the second, after we lost Kiteishvili, the game changed. In the end, we conceded goals and said goodbye to the championship, but we are happy that we represented our country with dignity,” Kashia said.
“We are proud of how we represented our country at such a high-level tournament. We got to the European Championship for the first time, and it was an amazing adventure. I am once again proud of our game,” he added.
