Georgia, Czechia aim for first win at UEFA Euro 2024 on TSN
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After opening game losses, tournament debutantes Georgia face Czechia with both teams needing a win to boost their chances of survival at UEFA Euro 2024.
Catch Georgia vs. Czechia LIVE on Saturday with coverage getting underway at 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT. on TSN1/4, CTV streaming on the TSN App and on TSN.ca.
Georgia fell 3-1 to Türkiye in one of the best games of Matchday 1, after a late press for an equalizer resulted in conceding a goal with their goalkeeper forward as part of the offence.
Georgia goal was scored when Georges Mikautadze beat the keeper at the near post, converting a cross from teammate Giorgi Kochorashvili to equalize with their first-ever goal at a major tournament.
"We didn't manage to get any points from the opening game against Türkiye,” said Mikautadze. “We now have a second game against Czechia, and we'll have to give our best to win this game and keep our hopes of getting through the group stage alive."
After falling behind a second time, Georgia would hit the post twice late and have an attempt at a wide-open goal deflected away by a defender before being hit on the counter in the 97th minute to end the game.
"We will learn from the experience of matches like the one against Türkiye,” said Georgia head coach Willy Sagnol. “It is a kind of learning process. The players have to recover their strength and there is a match against Czechia to come."
Czechia took Portugal to the limit in their opener, but a stoppage-time goal was also their undoing as they fell 2-1 at Leipzig Stadium.
Francisco Conceição came off the bench for Portugal and fired a rebound home in the 92nd minute to deny Czechia what would have been a hard-fought point to open the tournament.
Lukas Provod set Czechia on course for a possible upset when his strike from outside the box hit the back of the net in the 62nd minute.
"It is difficult to describe our feelings because a point was very close,” said Provod. “We have to keep our heads up and admit Portugal were the better side tonight, but I still think we deserved a point as the goals we conceded were a bit unlucky."
The bad luck came in the form of an own goal, seven minutes after Czechia took the lead, which got Portugal right back into the contest.
Now Czechia must turn their attention to Georgia as they attempt to escape the group stage at the European Championship for a second straight tournament.
"I saw Georgia's game against Türkiye – it was played at a very high intensity, very attacking. We had our analysts at the game, and we know that we need to prepare very well. Georgia's players have tremendous individual quality. We have certain ideas about our lineup; there will be changes [from Matchday 1]."
Georgia and Czechia have never met in international competition.