Soccer

Euro 2024 playoffs: Mykhailo Mudryk’s late winner sends Ukraine to finals

Georgia make history as they beat Greece on penalties to qualify for a major tournament for the first time

Mykhailo Mudryk of Ukraine celebrates scoring the winning goal during the Euro 2024 playoff final against Iceland at Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw, Poland. Photograph: Mateusz Porzucek/PressFocus/MB Media/Getty Images
Mykhailo Mudryk of Ukraine celebrates scoring the winning goal during the Euro 2024 playoff final against Iceland at Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw, Poland. Photograph: Mateusz Porzucek/PressFocus/MB Media/Getty Images
Tue Mar 26 2024 - 21:56
Ukraine 2 Iceland 1

Ukraine have qualified for the Euro 2024 finals after a 2-1 victory over Iceland in their playoff final thanks to Mykhailo Mudryk’s late winner.

Serhiy Rebrov’s side have been unable to play in Ukraine throughout qualifying because of the ongoing conflict with Russia.

Ukraine enjoyed a large following at the Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw, Poland, where many refugees settled after war broke out in their homeland in 2022.

Albert Gudmundsson opened the scoring with a stunning strike for the visitors after 30 minutes and Roman Yaremchuk saw an equaliser ruled out by VAR just before half-time. Ten minutes into the second half, though, Ukraine did have their equaliser thanks to Viktor Tsygankov’s fine finish after cutting in from the right.

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The game looked to be heading to extra time but Chelsea forward Mudryk curled home from the edge of the area with six minutes remaining to send Ukraine to the finals.

Georgia 0 Greece 0 (aet, Georgia won 4-2 on penalties)

Georgia qualified for Euro 2024 thanks to a 4-2 penalty shoot-out win over Greece after a tense playoff final in Tbilisi ended 0-0 following extra-time on Tuesday to reach their first major tournament.

Georgia’s Nika Kvekveskiri converted his spot kick after Greece’s Giorgos Giakoumakis put his penalty wide to send the home crowd wild as their side edged through to the finals.

Giorgi Mamardashvili saved Greece’s first effort from Anastasios Bakasetas after the hosts had taken the lead in the shoot-out but Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze missed his spot kick to give the Greeks renewed hope.

When Giakoumakis sent Greece’s fourth penalty past the post that left Georgia’s Kvekveskiri to become the hero as he kept his cool and squeezed his right-foot spot kick into the net.

The home crowd had watched Georgia beat Luxembourg 2-0 in the playoff semi-final last Thursday but were made to suffer through Tuesday’s shoot-out before celebrating as never before.

Georgia will be in Group F alongside Portugal, Turkey and Czech Republic at the Euros in Germany which begin on June 14.

The game was a scrappy, nervy affair, with chances in normal time few and far between. Tempers flared on the stroke of half-time as both benches spilled on to the pitch with Georgia’s substitute goalkeeper Giorgi Loria shown a red card.

The game came to life close to the end of the opening period of extra-time, with Mamardashvili getting down to push away a shot from Bakasetas and Greece’s Konstantinos Mavropanos hitting the bar with a header.

Georgia then had the chance to snatch a winner when Georges Mikautadze passed to Zuriko Davitashvili at the edge of the six- yard box but his close-range effort was saved by Odysseas Vlachodimos and a penalty shoot-out seemed inevitable.

The optimistic home crowd displayed a banner before the game which read “Breaking news, Georgia make history” and, in the end, they could wave it proudly when Kvekveskiri’s decisive penalty hit the back of the net to send their team to Germany.