GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany: Portugal are already qualified for the European Championship knockout stages and can sign off from Group F in style with a third win when they play newcomer Georgia on Wednesday.
A draw might give Georgia a chance at qualifying, depending on results elsewhere, but they’re likely to need a shock win. The kickoff in Gelsenkirchen at the same time as group rivals the Czech Republic and Turkiye meet in Hamburg is 9 p.m. local time (1900 GMT).
There will be scrutiny of Euro 2024 security after no fewer than six different fans invaded the field or tried to seek selfies with Cristiano Ronaldo at Portugal’s 3-0 win over Turkiye.
Four of them reached Ronaldo. UEFA said on Sunday they increased security but there was another fan on the field on Monday as Spain beat Albania 1-0.
On their major tournament debut, Georgia have won praise for their battling style of play and nearly beat the Czech Republic in their second game if not for a last-second miss. Beating Portugal would be a huge upset and would guarantee Georgia a spot in the round of 16.
Georgia will know before kickoff if a draw will potentially be enough to qualify as one of the four best third-place teams, or if only a win will do. If Georgia draw, they would still require the Czech Republic to lose against Turkiye, though.
Moreover, Ronaldo has yet to score at Euro 2024 and could potentially be rested against Georgia, since Portugal has won Group F no matter what.
Coach Willy Sagnol said Georgia midfielder Otar Kiteishvili missed the first two matches amid fitness concerns but is available to face Portugal
One of the records the 39-year-old Ronaldo can break is that of oldest ever goal-scorer at the European Championships. Croatia’s Luka Modric scored on Monday at age 38 against Italy to set a new record.
Two more milestones for experienced Portuguese players: Ronaldo can play his 210th international game and 41-year-old Pepe can play his 140th.
It’s 18 years since Ronaldo and Sagnol last faced off at a major tournament in Germany. Sagnol was the right back on the France team which beat Ronaldo’s Portugal 1-0 in the 2006 World Cup semifinals.
Meanwhile, Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa on fans invading the field said: “It’s clearly an annoying situation, both for us and for our opponents. It worries us, we’ve already made the statement and let’s hope that the situation improves in the next games, so that the football is richer.”
“The Georgian fans should expect more from me because I haven’t done the maximum I can do. And I will try to show that in the match versus Portugal and hopefully I can assist the team to gain a victory,” said Georgia star forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Portugal chase third win against newcomer Georgia while wary of selfie-seekers
https://arab.news/gkms7
Portugal chase third win against newcomer Georgia while wary of selfie-seekers
- A draw might give Georgia a chance at qualifying
- There will be scrutiny of Euro 2024 security after no fewer than six different fans invaded the field or tried to seek selfies with Cristiano Ronaldo
Bournemouth snap Liverpool’s unbeaten run to up pressure on Slot
- Goals from Evanilson and Alex Jimenez put the home side in a commanding position
- Defeat will intensify the scrutiny on Liverpool boss Arne Slot
BOURNEMOUTH, UK: Bournemouth ended Liverpool’s 13-game unbeaten run as Amine Adli’s 95th minute strike secured a thrilling 3-2 win for the Cherries on Saturday.
Goals from Evanilson and Alex Jimenez put the home side in a commanding position but Liverpool hit back through Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai to level.
However, Bournemouth won for just the second time in 15 matches after Adli fired in with virtually the last kick of the game.
Defeat will intensify the scrutiny on Liverpool boss Arne Slot with the Reds likely to fall outside of the Premier League’s top four after Sunday’s fixtures.
Slot, who guided Liverpool to Premier League glory last season, had steadied the ship after a run of nine defeats in 12 games earlier in the campaign.
But the Dutchman has attracted criticism for Liverpool’s uninspiring performances, even during their unbeaten run, and they are now winless in five league games.
The Reds put in a commanding performance to beat Marseille 3-0 and close in on the Champions League last 16 in midweek.
But they again struggled when faced with the rigours of breaking down a Premier League defense after gifting the Cherries a 2-0 lead.
The visitors dominated the ball throughout, but were made to pay for two defensive lapses in seven first-half minutes.
Van Dijk was too casual as he tried to flick Marcos Senesi’s ball over the top behind for a corner and Alex Scott pounced to cross for Evanilson to hammer home.
In trying to prevent the goal, Joe Gomez picked up an injury to further deplete Liverpool’s already threadbare options at center-back.
The visitors were down to 10 men as Wataru Endo waited to replace Gomez when Bournemouth doubled their lead.
Milos Kerkez was caught sleeping on his return to the Vitality Stadium to allow Jimenez to sneak in behind and slot in his first Bournemouth goal.
Van Dijk atoned for his previous error to begin the Liverpool fightback when he headed in Szoboszlai’s corner.
- Reward for positivity -
Andy Robertson replaced Kerkez at half-time despite being linked with a move to Tottenham before the transfer window closes in just over a week’s time.
Liverpool had little to show for their domination of the ball in the second period until Szoboszlai’s strike sparked a wild finale.
The Hungarian slotted a free-kick under the Marseille wall on Wednesday and this time used a flick from Cody Gakpo to work an angle to blast into the far corner.
Almost straight from kick-off, Liverpool needed Alisson Becker to produce a brilliant save from Ryan Christie to prevent Bournemouth retaking the lead.
Evanilson then wasted a glorious chance to win the game when the Brazilian slotted wide with just Alisson to beat.
Bournemouth could also have lost it when goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic made a fine save to prevent Florian Wirtz from finding the bottom corner.
But Andoni Iraola’s men were rewarded for going for the win when Adli smashed in from a narrow angle after Liverpool failed to clear a long throw.
Victory lifts Bournemouth up to 13th and 10 points clear of the relegation zone.
