UEFA's initial action facilitated the staging of the Dortmund event.
Georgia put on a scorching dance for the Turks until the final whistle blew in Dortmund on Tuesday night. In their European Championship opener, the "Knight Riders" astonishingly came within a whisker of a point, despite being seemingly doomed in the qualifiers for the tournament.
The last seconds sealed a thrilling football match. Ninety minutes of action saw highs and lows under the rain-soaked skies of Dortmund. Breathtaking goals, missed opportunities, goalposts and crossbars, tense atmosphere. The match between Turkey and Georgia had all the ingredients for a memorable football game. Then, with a 2:1 lead for Turkey, a fresh player came on for a standard substitute in the Turkish penalty area, repeatedly using their head to control the ball in a pressure-cooker situation. Goalkeeper Mert Günok finally sends the last ball away, and Kerem Aktürkoglu charges towards the empty goal, taking advantage of the Georgian goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili advancing. Aktürkoglu casually slots the ball into the net. Turkey wins 3:1, after an unexpected 97 minutes at Borussia Dortmund's home stadium.
The Georgians, who had played a commendable role in the most entertaining game of the tournament so far, deserve appreciation for their performance. The team, led by Willy Sagnol, would have deserved a shock victory in their first knockout game in history. But even with several missed opportunities in the final phase, the team from the Caucasus earned a lot of admiration.
In fact, the Georgian debutants' valiant performance with their star player Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from SSC Napoli would not have been possible without UEFA's qualification system. The fact that the football-developing nation managed to make it to the European Championship at all is due to two decisions of the European football association, which were criticized by many experts and fans from major football nations and continue to be a topic of discussion.
First, there was the decision to extend the EM to 24 teams. Since the 2016 European Championship, eight more countries qualified than before. However, the expansion from 16 to 24 teams alone was not enough for Georgia to have a realistic chance of qualifying for the EM. In the qualification for the European Championship in France 2016, Georgia won only three of its ten games, two of which were against Gibraltar. The qualification for the European Championship 2021 also went awry, as they won only two of eight games, both against Gibraltar again. The qualification for the European Championship 2024 also went poorly, as they won only two of eight games, both against Cyprus.
Nations League smooths the path
How did Georgia make it to the EM? The answer lies in the Nations League. This seemingly complex league format was first held in 2018 and has since offered an additional opportunity to qualify for the World Cup and European Championship. Smaller nations particularly benefit from it. In 2021, North Macedonia made it to the EM dramatically through the Nations League. In the final of the playoffs, the North Macedonians won against Georgia.
Three years later, the Sagnol-Team managed to make it to the finals themselves. In League C of the Nations League, Georgia earned 16 out of 18 possible points against Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Gibraltar, making it undefeated into the Quali-Playoffs for the EURO 2024. In the Playoff Semifinal, Luxembourg was beaten 2:0, and in the Final, Georgia surprisingly advanced past Greece through a penalty shootout.
Without the Nations League, Georgia would not have even come close to the finals. The newly introduced tournament is a stroke of luck for nominally weaker teams. By beating equally strong opponents, nations like Georgia gain confidence and the chance for a otherwise unattainable finals. And even making it there is not enough for Georgia, as the "Crusaders" impressively demonstrated in the 1:3 loss against Turkey. Two decisions by UEFA made this development possible: Eight additional group stage spots for the EURO and the introduction of the Nations League with the opportunity to qualify through detours.
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Georgia's successful journey to the European Football Championship 2024 also included their participation in the Nations League. They managed to secure promotion from League C, thanks to victories against Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Gibraltar, setting up a playoff against Luxembourg and Greece. Despite losing to Luxembourg, they advanced to the finals against Greece through a penalty shootout. This qualification route, made possible by UEFA's introduction of the Nations League, allowed Georgia to participate in the European Championship alongside other heavyweights, such as Turkey.
