3.
18:05
Israel gives Georgia the ball at the beginning, but after the conquest they can go ahead quickly. The first cross from the left flies far beyond the penalty area, so there is no danger.
1.
18:03
The ball is rolling and the atmosphere in the stadium is really charged right from the start! Georgia kicks and keeps the ball within their own ranks.
17:52
It starts in a few minutes: Georgia can once again look forward to loud support from the ranks in their own country, more precisely in the Mikheil Meshki Stadium in Tbilisi. Incidentally, the winner of the quarter-finals will play the winner of the game between England and Portugal in the semi-finals (tomorrow at 6 p.m.).
17:43
Incidentally, the VAR is in action from the knockout round of this tournament and is celebrating his debut in this first quarter-final. In tight situations, the referee can rely on support. Since both teams have focused on a physical style of play in the current tournament, the additional help certainly doesn’t hurt. Ten yellow cards for Georgia and twelve yellow and one red card for Israel speak for themselves. Accordingly, an intense game can be expected today.
17:33
Let’s take a quick look at the personnel of the two teams. At Georgia there is only one change in midfield with Gagnidze for Lominadze. Their best-known player is still between the posts today: Mamardashvili is under contract with FC Valencia and carries an imaginary price tag of around 25 million euros. Israel also make a change in midfield because Revivo is suspended and not in the squad. For him, Hajaj starts on the outside lane. Gandelman, scorer in the late 1-0 win against the Czech Republic, is also on board today and provides stability from the defensive.
17:26
Israel also made it through to the next round in a narrow but no less surprising manner: a draw against Germany, a defeat against eventual group winners England and a close 1-0 win against the Czech Republic was enough for second place in group C. The young Germans on the other hand, had to pack our bags early and is no longer there.
17:14
Georgia advanced to the quarter-finals as Group A winners, beating big nations like Portugal, Belgium and the Netherlands. At the start, the hosts caused a big surprise with their 2-0 win over title favorite Portugal – Georgia drew in the other two matches and thus entered the knockout phase with five points on their account.
17:05
Hello and welcome to the first quarterfinals of the U21 European Championship! At 6 p.m., hosts Georgia and Israel will meet two teams that were not necessarily to be expected in the knockout phase. One of the two nations will even advance to the semi-finals of the tournament after today’s game!