Record European champions Spain and Ukraine were the first teams to reach the quarter-finals at the U21 European Championships in Romania and Georgia. Five-time champions Spain beat Croatia 1-0 (1-0) thanks to a lightning strike on Saturday and have two wins in Group B as well as Ukraine, who beat co-hosts Romania 1-0 (0-0). . Croatia and Romania no longer have a chance of progressing.
Co-favorite Portugal, on the other hand, is threatened with an early knockout in Group A. The finalists of 2021 did not get more than 1-1 (1-0) in the top game against the Netherlands and remain at the bottom of Group A after the defeat at the start against Georgia (0-2). Meanwhile, in Tbilisi, in front of a record crowd of 41,887 spectators, Georgia managed another respectable win with a 2-2 (0-2) win over Belgium. The co-hosts are now four points ahead of Belgium and the Netherlands (2 each) and Portugal (1).
Spain took the lead in Bucharest after just 20 seconds, Abel Ruiz’s lightning goal surpassing Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz as the fastest goalscorer in the history of the U21 European Championships. The Spaniard was nine seconds faster than the then 18-year-old Wirtz in the 2021 semi-final against the Netherlands (2-1).
Ukraine, meanwhile, won thanks to an own goal by Victor Dican in the 89th minute after beating Croatia 2-0 (1-0) at the start.
Portugal took the lead after 20 minutes through Andre Almeida before ex-Leipzig player Brian Brobbey (78′) equalized for Oranje. Maxim de Cuyper (15′) and Largie Ramazani (38′) scored for the Belgians, while substitute Georhiji Tsitaishvili (51′) and Giorgi Guliashvili (87′) saved the draw. The crowd at the Boris Paichadze Stadium was the largest in the history of the U21 Championship.