Spain still going strong since Tbilisi turnaround, Georgia eye another shock

COLOGNE – As Spain prepare to face Georgia in the Euro 2024 round of 16 on June 30, memories will undoubtedly drift to the 7-1 thrashing they dished out to the same opponents last September.

It was a match that helped the team gel during a time of turmoil for Spanish football.

On the eve of their Euro 2024 qualifier in Tbilisi, as the Spaniards were licking their wounds from a 2-0 defeat by Scotland, manager Luis de la Fuente was batting away questions about the scandal surrounding then football federation boss Luis Rubiales.

He had applauded Rubiales, when the disgraced president said he would not resign amid the controversy sparked by his unsolicited kiss of player Jenni Hermoso after her team’s victory in the Women’s World Cup a few weeks earlier.

De la Fuente subsequently apologised and said he had been under a great deal of psychological pressure.

He also tried to dismiss the idea that the furore could be a distraction for his squad, while several key players read out a statement condemning Rubiales’ actions and asking the media to “stick to football” ahead of the match in Tbilisi.

Instead of splitting the team apart, the pressure appeared to galvanise them.

Spain were 4-0 up at half-time against the stunned Georgians, with 16-year-old Lamine Yamal coming off the bench to seal a 7-1 win and become La Roja’s youngest-ever international and scorer.

It was the performance Spanish football needed after the Rubiales scandal and it was the moment when de la Fuente and the players just clicked.

It also marked the first time the coach deployed Yamal and the 21-year-old Nico Williams together, confident something big could be brewing by deploying the youngsters up and down the wings.

Spain won all of their remaining qualifiers after that and they are on a perfect run of three wins with no goals conceded at Euro 2024, but de la Fuente is not taking their good form for granted.

“We have massive respect for Georgia, who have played superbly against Portugal (2-0 win),” he said.

“We’ve faced Georgia several times and noticed that their performance level keeps going up. In order to win this game we have to do what we always demand of ourselves, which is produce our best version.

“The fact they’ve beaten a top rival will make them more confident and therefore more dangerous. I’m sure that Georgia will be full of motivation. But nothing has changed for Spain, we want to go all the way in this tournament.”

Georgia’s players may also look back at that 7-1 rout as a yardstick of how far they have come.

They have won the hearts of fans with a series of never-say-die performances in the group stage that included their stunning win over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.

They face a huge test in Cologne, however, and must find a way to deal with Spain’s suffocating pressure and relentless pace, with Williams and Yamal darting up the flanks.

Before they can even think about putting some pressure on the Spanish goal they will also have to outfox a midfield where Rodri and Fabian Ruiz hold their ground and Pedri links the pieces together.

It may all be too much firepower for Georgia to handle, but the underdogs will not go down without a fight. REUTERS