by Group F ended with frustration as Cristiano Ronaldo reacted to a referee’s raging, and a heated skirmish ensued after Turkey’s victory over Czechia.
Ronaldo was frustrated as Portugal’s Euro 2024 group schedule ended with a shocking defeat to Georgia, marking the biggest shock in tournament history per ranking.
Ronaldo received a yellow card for yelling at referee Sandro Schaerer during a penalty claim. He was replaced by Goncalo Ramos after 66 minutes, with Portugal’s spot as Group F winner assured. Ramos reacted with annoyance.
Georgia, the lowest-ranked team, secured an unexpected place in the knockout round with goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Georges Mikautadze, disrupting the round-of-16 schedule.
Turkey secured a spot in the final by defeating Czechia in Hamburg, resulting in a runner-up spot, level on six points with Portugal, but losing the head-to-head match.
Georgia’s Kvaratskhelia scored a goal in just two minutes against Portugal, a team with numerous changes but still containing star power like Ronaldo and Barcelona’s Joao Felix.
Georgia, gaining confidence, pushed forward and won a penalty after light contact after 57 minutes, as confirmed by the video replay, which Mikautadze made without mistake.
Georgia, the only debutant in the tournament, has achieved a result beyond expectations, thanks to the goalkeeping heroics of Giorgi Mamardashvili, which secured a 2-1 victory against Spain on Saturday.
Portugal’s Roberto Martinez hoped Ronaldo could increase his goalscoring tally, but Mamardashvili denied him in the first half with a dipping free kick.
Turkey scored through Hakan Calhanoglu in Hamburg after Antonin Barak was sent off. The Czechs were given a lifeline by Tomas Soucek, but a victory was insufficient to advance them.
Czenk Tosun scored a late goal for Turkey, while Czechia’s players threw forward and left themselves open to a counter. Anger remained after the final whistle, leading to a post-whistle red card for Czechia’s Tomas Chory.
Turkey faces Austria in Leipzig on July 2, while Ronaldo and Portugal face Slovenia in Frankfurt for the quarterfinal spot with France and Belgium as winners.
