Khvicha, Lewandowski and Iceland race towards Germany. All about the Euro 2024 play-off finals
Nikita Paglazov March 25, 2024, 22:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Georgia will play the 2004 champion and Poland against the 2016 bronze medalist.
Qualification for Euro 2024 is coming to an end. It remains to be known the last three teams that will attend the tournament in Germany. On Tuesday, March 26, the final games of the playoffs for Routes A, B and C of the Nations League will be played. Let’s talk about the three.
Wales – Poland
The Welsh and Poles did not qualify for the European Championship through qualification. Wales took third place in Group D, and Poland took a similar position in Group E. Participation in the Nations League saved the teams. The teams played in League A, where 14 of 16 teams qualified for the Euro (Germany as hosts). Poland and Wales automatically qualified for the four-way mini-play-off. They were joined by Estonia (the strongest team in the D league) and Finland (received a draw, although they could have played in the B league). In the first matches, Wales defeated Finland 4-1 on their field. But Poland had no problems with Estonia, winning 5-1. Now comes the most important face-to-face confrontation that will decide the fate of the ticket to the Euro Cup. The winner of the match will go to Group D formed by Holland, France and Austria. Serious neighborhood.
In the first match Wales defeated Finland at home 4:1
Photo: Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images
The decisive match between Wales and Poland will take place in Cardiff. The Welsh have a small advantage. It’s hard to pick a clear favorite. Both teams have well-matched squads. Wales have lost Gareth Bale in recent years and Aaron Ramsey is no longer a key player. But otherwise all the same guys: goalkeeper Danny Ward, defenders Ben Davis, Joe Rodon, Connor Roberts, midfielders Harry Wilson, Ethan Ampadu, David Brooks and Jordan James, as well as forward Brennan Johnson.
The Poles also have all the stars: Wojciech Szczesny, Piotr Zielinski, Nikola Zalewski, Jakub Kiwer, Sebastian Szymanski and Robert Lewandowski. In the last head-to-head matchup of 2022, Poland scored a minimal away victory. Let’s see how the story turns out now.
Ukraine — Iceland
Two more teams fighting for a ticket to the Euro Cup. The Icelanders qualified for the Euro Cup only once: in 2016, where they reached the quarterfinals. Ukraine has qualified for the continental tournament three times: in 2021, the team also reached the quarterfinals. Now only one of them will go to Germany. In the qualifying phase, the Ukrainians took third place in Group C along with England and Italy, while the Icelanders missed out on Portugal, Slovakia and Luxembourg. In the League of Nations, Ukraine and Iceland took second place in their quartets. However, they had the opportunity to qualify for the Euro Cup, as Serbia and Scotland (from League B) entered the tournament directly. The Ukrainians and Icelanders were accompanied on Route B through Israel and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In the semi-finals, the Ukrainians snatched victory from the Bosnians in a dramatic match
Photo: Srdjan Stevanovic – UEFA/Getty Images
In the semi-finals, the Ukrainians snatched victory from the Bosnians in a dramatic match: in the 85th minute, Sergei Rebrov’s team was losing 0:1, but after three minutes Roman Yaremchuk and Artem Dovbik each scored a goal. It should be noted that Ukrainian national team defender Nikolai Matvienko scored an own goal at the beginning of the second half. So the Bosnians did not distinguish themselves even once.
And Iceland was the first to lose in the match against Israel, after which they scored four times. The confrontation between Ukrainians and Icelanders for a place in the Euro Cup will take place on March 26 in Wroclaw, Poland. The winner of the match at the European Championship will be in Group E along with Belgium, Slovakia and Romania. Soft and interesting composition. Both teams want to be in the final.
Georgia – Greece
A very interesting couple. Georgia is one step away from reaching the Euro Cup for the first time in history. And the Greeks have not played in the Euro Cup for 12 years. Now the teams have generations with a good selection of players. The most popular players are Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia, Napoli) and Konstantinos Tsimikas (Greece, Liverpool). The teams failed to reach the finals through qualification: Georgia finished fourth in a group with Spain, Scotland and Norway, and the Greeks missed out on France and the Netherlands. However, Georgians and Greeks won the Nations League (League C) quartets. Thanks to this they had a second chance to reach the European Championship.
Georgia beat Luxembourg at home in the first game of the miniplay-off 2:0
Photo: Levan Verdzeuli – UEFA/Getty Images
Georgia, without the disqualified Khvichi, beat Luxembourg at home in the first game of the miniplay-off (2-0). And Greece defeated Kazakhstan on their field 5-0. The CIS party did not give the right to entry. But Georgia has a good chance of reaching the European Championship. First of all, the match against Greece will be played in Tbilisi. The team will also have the help of Kvaratskhelia, who served time for three yellow cards in the qualifying phase. The most important match in the history of the Georgian national team. Please note that the winner of the pair will be at the Euro in the group with Turkey, Portugal and the Czech Republic.
In the match against Luxembourg, Georgia had an unexpected leader:
Georgia has found a replacement for Kvaratskhelia. Zivzivadze brought her out: who is he?
