Ukraine and Georgia are going to Euro 2024 after late drama in qualifying playoffs

Ukraine and Georgia are going to the 2024 European Championship after bringing late drama to win emotional qualifying playoffs on Tuesday.

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

The “home” game for Ukraine was played in neutral Poland because international games cannot be played in Kyiv for security reasons during the Russian military invasion. Ukraine fans’ displayed yellow-and-blue banners criticizing Russia and its president Vladimir Putin in the stadium in Wroclaw.

Georgia star forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will make their major tournament debut at Euro 2024 after beating Greece 4-2 in a penalty shootout. It had been a tense and testy 0-0 draw in a raucous atmosphere in Tbilisi.

Wild celebrations saw thousands of Georgia fans in a 50,000 crowd at the national stadium pour onto the field and some climbed the goalposts to sit on the crossbar.

The 24-nation Euro 2024 lineup in Germany was to be finalized when Wales and Poland completed their playoff final in Cardiff. The game was in extra time after ending 0-0 in 90 minutes.

Either Wales or Poland will go into a tough Group D with France, the Netherlands and Austria.

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

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

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

UKRAINE’S MOMENT

Two years ago, Ukraine fell just short in playoffs to reach the 2022 World Cup, eventually losing to Wales with a team emotionally drained from the effort four months into their homeland’s invasion.

Ukraine would not be denied this time and twice within five days rallied in the second half and found a late goal to win 2-1. Last week, Coach Serhiy Rebrov’s had trailed 1-0 in Bosnia-Herzegovina until the 85th.

In a game of stunning goals, Iceland led in the 30th on Albert Gudmundsson‘s curling shot.

Viktor Tsygankov leveled in the 54th from just outside the Iceland penalty box, close to the spot where Chelsea winger Mudryk would win the game 30 minutes later.

Ukraine starts against Romania in Munich on June 17, then plays Slovakia in Düsseldorf on June 21 and top-seeded Belgium on June 26 in Stuttgart.

GEORGIA

Georgian players have been European champions before — in the Soviet Union squad that won the inaugural title in 1960.

Now the independent republic has earned the right to make its own soccer history in Germany.

The decisive penalty on Tuesday was scored by substitute Nika Kvekveskiri who placed his perfect shot low into the corner to seal Georgia’s 4-2 win.

Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili had saved the first Greece spot-kick, by captain Tasos Bakasetas, then Giorgos Giakoumakis pulled his shot wide of the goal. Georgia will start against Turkey on June 18 in Dortmund, then play the Czechs on June 22 in Hamburg, and finish against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal on June 26 in Gelsenkirchen, at the home stadium of Schalke.

Georgia’s French coach Willy Sagnol knows the territory well after nine years playing for Bayern Munich.

Georgia followed North Macedonia, a debutant at Euro 2020, in taking the path opened by UEFA for a low-ranked team to rise to the big stage via their results in the Nations League competition.

Georgia and Greece played the final of a playoffs knockout bracket open only to teams that performed well in third-tier groups of the Nations League in 2022, before they failed to finish in the top two of a traditional Euros qualifying group last year.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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