Euro 2024: Ukraine, Georgia and Poland qualify after late drama in playoffs

Ukraine discovered one other late profitable purpose in one other comeback win. Georgia and Poland held their nerve in penalty shootouts. All are going to the European Championship.

The 24-nation Euro 2024 lineup was finalized Tuesday with three qualifying playoffs giving a stronger japanese European taste to the match that opens June 14 in Germany.

Mykhailo Mudryk’s sweeping low shot within the 84th minute lifted Ukraine to a 2-1 victory over Iceland and a second late comeback win within the playoffs for a staff representing the war-torn nation.

The “house” recreation for Ukraine was performed in impartial Poland as a result of worldwide video games can’t be performed in Kyiv for safety causes through the navy invasion by Russia, whose staff UEFA banned from making an attempt to qualify.

Ukraine followers’ displayed yellow-and-blue banners criticizing Russia and its president Vladimir Putin within the stadium in Wroclaw.

“An enormous thanks to our followers,” Ukraine midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko mentioned, “they helped us by these tough instances amazingly.”

Georgia and star ahead Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will make their main match debut at Euro 2024 after beating Greece 4-2 in a penalty shootout. It had been a tense and testy 0-0 attract a raucous environment in Tbilisi.

Wild celebrations noticed hundreds of Georgia followers in a 50,000 crowd on the nationwide stadium pour onto the sphere and a few climbed the goalposts to sit down on the crossbar.

Poland turned the final staff to e-book its ticket to Germany, beating Wales 5-4 in a penalty shootout in Cardiff additionally after a 0-0 draw.

Poland captain Robert Lewandowski, who had scored the primary spot-kick of the shootout, couldn’t bear to observe the motion when his goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny pushed away the ultimate penalty taken by Dan James.

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“It’s large as a result of I most likely would have completed my worldwide profession tonight had we misplaced the sport,” Szczęsny mentioned.

Poland will go into a troublesome Group D with France, the Netherlands and Austria.

Ukraine is in Group F with Belgium, Romania and Slovakia.

Georgia goes into Group F to face Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal, Turkey and the Czech Republic.

Euro 2024 will likely be performed in 10 German cities from June 14 to July 14.

UKRAINE’S MOMENT

Two years in the past, Ukraine fell simply quick in playoffs to succeed in the 2022 World Cup, ultimately dropping to Wales with a staff emotionally drained from the hassle 4 months into their homeland’s invasion.

Ukraine wouldn’t be denied this time and twice inside 5 days rallied within the second half and located a late purpose to win 2-1. Final week, Coach Serhiy Rebrov’s had trailed 1-0 in Bosnia-Herzegovina till the eighty fifth.

In a recreation of gorgeous objectives, Iceland led within the thirtieth on Albert Gudmundsson’ s curling shot.

Viktor Tsygankov leveled within the 54th from simply outdoors the Iceland penalty field, near the spot the place Chelsea winger Mudryk would win the sport half-hour later.

Ukraine begins towards Romania in Munich on June 17, then performs Slovakia in Düsseldorf on June 21 and top-seeded Belgium on June 26 in Stuttgart.

GEORGIA RISING

Georgian gamers have been European champions earlier than — within the Soviet Union squad that received the inaugural title in 1960.

Now the unbiased republic has earned the fitting to make its personal soccer historical past in Germany.

The decisive penalty Tuesday was scored by substitute Nika Kvekveskiri positioned his good shot low into the nook to seal Georgia’s 4-2 win.

Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili had saved the primary Greece spot-kick, by captain Tasos Bakasetas, then Giorgos Giakoumakis pulled his shot huge of the purpose.

Georgia will begin towards Turkey on June 18 in Dortmund, then play the Czechs on June 22 in Hamburg, and end towards Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal on June 26 in Gelsenkirchen, on the house stadium of Schalke.

Georgia’s French coach Willy Sagnol is aware of the territory effectively after 9 years enjoying for Bayern Munich.

Georgia adopted North Macedonia, a debutant at Euro 2020, in taking the trail opened by UEFA for a low-ranked staff to rise to the large stage by way of their ends in the Nations League competitors.

Georgia and Greece performed the ultimate of a playoffs knockout bracket open solely to groups that carried out effectively in third-tier teams of the Nations League in 2022, earlier than they failed to complete within the prime two of a standard Euros qualifying group final yr.

LEWANDOWSKI’S FOURTH

Poland has performed at each Euros version since its star ahead Lewandowski made his national-team debut in 2008, together with as co-host with Ukraine at Euro 2012.

Now 35, he must be again to guide the staff in Germany in a gaggle that ought to have an emotional pull for him.

Poland begins towards the Netherlands on June 16 in Hamburg, strikes to Berlin towards Austria on June 21 and finishes the group towards France on June 25 within the stadium the place Lewandowski starred for Borussia Dortmund for 4 years.