Georgia leaving with head high, says Sagnol

COLOGNE, Germany — Georgia coach Willy Sagnol said he was "very proud" of his team after it went out of Euro 2024 in the last 16 to Spain on Sunday, and insisted it is determined to return to a major tournament in the future.

The competition's surprise package beat Portugal 2-0 in its last group game to reach the last 16, and it went ahead against Spain in Cologne thanks to Robin Le Normand's early own goal.

That raised hope of a sensational upset, but it was short-lived, as Spain came back to win 4-1.

"The thought of 'wow, we can do it' was one we already had before the match because we were competing against a great team, but we thought we might have a chance," Sagnol said when asked how he felt when Georgia went in front.

"If not, we would not have been present on the pitch.

"We took the lead from our first attacking situation, and, if at halftime we had still led 1-0, we would maybe have had a bit more energy for the second half.

"But it was a bit too much for us. Spain deserved the win, there is no discussion about it."

Spain equalized six minutes before the break through Rodri, and ran away with the game in the second half, with goals from Fabian Ruiz, Nico Williams and Dani Olmo.

However, Sagnol said Rodri's goal should have been disallowed, because Spain captain Alvaro Morata was standing in an offside position and blocking the line of sight of the Georgian goalkeeper.

"If you want my opinion, yes it was clearly offside," he said.

"I think VAR is a fantastic evolution in football, but I think we don't know how to use it properly."

Georgia's elimination marks the end of a remarkable run in the nation's first major tournament since gaining independence from the former Soviet republic in 1991.

Sagnol said it was too early to start thinking about its chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

"Sometimes, you have to take your time to look back at what you've done," he said.

"We can sit down in peace and quiet and be very happy with the last year, because the evolution of the team has been absolutely fantastic.

"I'm very proud of what the players have done in the last months, but now it is the end of the journey. I'm sure the next one will also be very exciting."

European qualifying for the World Cup will not begin until next year, and Georgia's next objective is the UEFA Nations League, beginning in September.

It was its performances in the last Nations League that allowed it to qualify for the Euros via the playoffs, as it won promotion from the third tier League C.

It will be in a group with the Czech Republic, Ukraine and Albania, this time in League B, where more impressive results would improve its chances of getting to the next Euros in 2028.

"We worked so hard to get here, and I think when the players, staff and everyone realize what we have done together, of course we will try our best to come back to a major competition," said the Frenchman.

"Playing against the best teams and best players in great stadiums, with great atmospheres, and giving the opportunity to Georgian fans to come here and sing the national anthem, has been such a great experience.

"Tomorrow morning we will want only one thing, which is to come back."

AFP