Latest EURO results: Georgia scores historic points; Portugal enters round of 16: Belgium gets first 3 points

Georgia scores historic points

Despite being underestimated, Georgia surprised many when they were ready to push up their formation to play an attacking game with the Czech Republic right after the opening whistle. However, their boldness did not make the Czech Republic flinch. On the contrary, the team from the land of crystal quickly took control of the game.

In just the first 5 minutes, they forced goalkeeper Mamardashvili to make 3 saves. After a series of attacks, Marco Fritz finally used his face to put the ball into the Georgia net in the 22nd minute. Unfortunately, his goal was disallowed due to a handball.

After a series of attacks without scoring, the Czech Republic finally had to face the harsh reality of conceding first. Just before the end of the first half, captain Kashia controlled the ball neatly and shot straight at the Czech goalkeeper. The referee checked VAR and pointed to the penalty spot. Georgia striker Cho Mikautadze made no mistake to score his second goal at EURO 2024.

Having to chase the score, the Czechs put suffocating pressure on Georgia's goal throughout the second half. The Czechs created dozens of chances, but they also had to rely on the help of luck to find an equalizer. In the 59th minute, the newly substituted player Lingr made his mark with a header that hit the Georgia post. The ball bounced off striker Schick's chest and flew into the net, surprising the entire red team's defense.

Despite Schick being forced off the pitch shortly afterwards due to injury, the Czechs continued to dominate the game. However, on a day when goalkeeper Mamardashvili was in fine form, making a series of excellent saves, the Czechs were unable to find a second goal.

They even almost lost in the final seconds of the match, but unfortunately for Georgia, Lobzhanidze shot the ball into the sky after a 3-on-1 counterattack. Although they could not defeat the Czechs, Georgia still had reason to be proud because they won a historic point in their first participation in the EURO finals.

Portugal entered the round of 16 as the top team

There were no surprises in the match between Türkiye and Portugal when the European Selecao won 3-0. Cristiano Ronaldo did not score but had 1 assist to help Portugal officially win a ticket to the round of 16 as the top team.

Coach Roberto Martinez made a notable change to the Portuguese team's lineup compared to the victory over the Czech Republic. That was to start Joao Palhinha and put Diogo Dalot on the bench, and switch from a 3-4-3 to a 4-4-3 formation. And it seems that this change helps Portugal's play smoother.

The ball was still being passed to superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, but his shots were not difficult enough to beat goalkeeper Bayindir. And while CR7 had yet to make a statement, another star made his mark. In the 21st minute, Rafael Leao coordinated with Nuno Mendes on the left wing before Mendes passed the ball inside for Bernardo Silva to tap the ball into the goal to open the scoring.

Just 7 minutes later, Portugal doubled the lead. In a harmless situation, center-back Samet Akaydin carelessly passed the ball back without observing goalkeeper Altay Bayindir who had come forward. The ball slowly rolled into the net despite Bayindir and Bardakci's efforts to get back and clear it.

In the second half, Portugal played quite slowly when they had taken a safe lead. They waited for their opponents to make a mistake and this happened in the 56th minute. Ronaldo broke the offside trap to face Bayindir but he did not finish but crossed for Fernandes to tap the ball into the Turkish net. This was Ronaldo's first assist at EURO 2024 and also his 8th assist in the history of participating in this tournament.

In the remaining minutes, despite his best efforts, Ronaldo could not score. In any case, Portugal won and officially qualified for the round of 16 as the top team. They have 6 points, 3 points more than the second-placed team, Turkey, but have a better head-to-head record. In the remaining match of Group F, Georgia excellently held the Czech Republic to a 1-0 draw. This result left the Czech Republic and Georgia in 3rd and 4th place, respectively, with 1 point.

Belgium got the first 3 points

After a surprising loss to Slovakia in their opening match, Belgium were determined to take all three points in their second match against Romania. Coach Domenico Tedeco's team attacked from the very first minutes and scored in the second minute.

In a quick attack, the ball was played into the box for Lukaku. The striker controlled the ball before passing it back to Tielemans who finished comfortably on the edge of the box. The powerful shot helped Belgium break the deadlock.

With the goal, Belgium became more excited and overwhelmed their opponents. Lukaku and Doku had good chances to score in the penalty area, but the excellence of goalkeeper Nita helped Romania not concede any more goals in the first half.

Entering the second half, the game did not change much. Belgium still created dangerous opportunities. In the 64th minute, De Bruyne made a classy pass for Lukaku to break through and finish neatly into the Romanian net. However, once again, VAR denied Lukaku's goal due to an offside.

Although Lukaku was still quite unlucky, De Bruyne was not. In the 80th minute, taking advantage of the kick-off from home, the Belgian captain fought fiercely before firing a neat shot to increase the score to 2-0.

This was also the final score of this match. Belgium won and got the first 3 points to rise to the top of Group E at EURO 2024.