Spain underlined their tournament credentials with a thumping 4-1 win against Georgia. Check out the best facts and analyse the Opta data with our Spain vs Georgia stats page.
On a day where their championship co-favourites, England, put in a desperately poor performance yet somehow squeaked through, Spain laid down a true marker with a consummate 4-1 victory over Georgia. It sets up a mouthwatering quarter-final tie against Germany next Friday.
Rodri, Fabián Ruiz, Nico Williams and Dani Olmo were on the scoresheet for La Roja, after defender Robin Le Normand had turned into his own net to give Georgia a surprise lead.
Defeat here sees Georgia exit their debut international tournament with their heads held high. Their matches were thrilling and the enterprise and bravery they showed in their approach to games was a breath of fresh air.
This was about as one-sided as knockout games get, though, and the momentum graphic below tells you all you need to know about how this match went:
For those than had sat through England-Slovakia earlier in the day, Spain’s start was the antithesis of the 120 minutes of action they’d just seen.
Spain began with such verve and urgency in their passing. With their two wingers – Lamine Yamal and Williams – stationed high and wide, Georgia’s low block was stretched across the pitch. That left pockets of space for Spain’s back four and Rodri to zip balls between the lines into Fabián Ruiz and Pedri.
Spain looked threatening from the first whistle and had attempted three shots inside the first six minutes. The fourth came after 10 and was their most dangerous yet. Williams’ inswinging corner was flicked on at the near post by Dani Carvajal and saved excellently by Giorgi Mamardashvili.
The Georgian goalkeeper has been one of the revelations of this tournament. Coming into this game, he had saved 16 of the last 17 shots on target he’d faced, and the Valencia stopper was once again stellar for his side.
After 15 minutes, Spain had ratcheted up the pressure further. They had 89% possession and completed 151 passes. Georgia had completed 13.
So, it made total sense that Georgia opened the scoring with their first counter attack of the game. Georges Mikautadze wriggled free of Spanish midfield pressure to spray the ball out wide to Otar Kakabadze who had broken forward from right-back.
Kakabadze’s whipped cross was aimed for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the middle, but Spain’s Robin Le Normand beat the Napoli man to the ball. Unfortunately for Spain, he could only deflect the ball into his own net.
It was the eighth own goal scored in Euro 2024; only in Euro 2020 (11) have more own goals have been scored in an entire edition of the tournament.
With so much possession, Spain were always going to continue to threaten the Georgia goal. First it was Fabián Ruiz, firing a snap shot from the edge of the box that Mamardashvili smartly stopped. Then it was Pedri slicing over from the edge of the box after 25 minutes. Marc Cucurella – revitalised at this tournament – then arrowed one towards the bottom corner.
Each time, Mamardashvili was equal to it.
The pressure was unrelenting, though, and Georgia finally buckled, with Rodri burying one from the edge of the box. It was a moment of pure class, too, with the Man City man’s perfect first touch setting himself up for a clinical finish that was his first goal in a major tournament for his nation.
In total, Spain had 17 shots in the first half, the most on record (since 1980) in the first half of a European Championship knockout stage game.
Georgia had completed 29 passes in the opposition half – the fewest in a first half at the Euros – and Spain had completed 334, the most on record.
It really was utter dominance.
Early in the second half, Kvaratskhelia nearly scored the goal of the tournament, driving forward from inside his own half before almost catching Unai Simón off his line with a remarkable long-range effort.
That was a rare bright moment in the second period though, and Spain turned the screw, taking the lead after 51 minutes.
After his fizzing free-kick had been palmed away, Yamal found himself in space from the same phase of play. He then faded a great cross to the back post and Fabián Ruiz headed home from close range.
With that assist Yamal became the first teenager to assist multiple goals at a single Euros tournament since Cristiano Ronaldo at Euro 2004.
We probably shouldn’t have been surprised about how easily Spain cut Georgia open. After all, the Georgians faced the most shots (71), most on target (25) and had the highest xG conceded (8.1) of any nation in the group stage. That, and also the fact that Spain beat them 7-1 and 3-1 in Euro 2024 qualifying.
The teenage winger was an absolute menace throughout the game, and almost forced Spain’s third goal. His run and cross down the right was deflected into his own net by Giorgi Gvelesiani, but Yamal had strayed just offside in the build-up.
It was his opposite winger, Williams, who put the game to bed.
As Georgia pushed forward in search of an equaliser, they left themselves two-against-two at the back. Spain countered swiftly, and Williams burned past his defender and slammed home.
Only Cesc Fàbregas (21y, 37d) and Ferran Torres (21y, 115d) have scored at a younger age for Spain at the European Championship than the Atlético Madrid man (21y, 354d).
Spain’s two wingers were electric in this contest. Between them, they attempted 12 shots, created nine chances, touched the ball 160 times, completed 96 of their 102 passes and attempted 19 dribbles.
Dani Olmo put the gloss on the performance with a cool finish to make it four, as Spain put the watching world on notice.
They now face host nation Germany in the quarter-final. It’s a game that is certainly worthy of far greater billing. As it is, it will be the headline act of the last eight.
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Spain vs Georgia stats from their Euro 2024 last-16 clash at Cologne Stadium.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
Spain vs Georgia: Post-Match Facts
- Spain’s 4-1 victory over Georgia is the biggest margin of victory by a team who conceded the opening goal in a game at the UEFA European Championship.
- For the first time since the EURO 2012 final (4-0 v Italy), Spain have won a knockout stage game in normal time at a major tournament (World Cup/EUROs). Each of their five previous games in the knockout stages had gone to extra time, winning two and being eliminated three times.
- Georgia have lost all seven of their competitive meetings with Spain, conceding 23 goals and netting just four times themselves.
- Spain amassed 17 shots in the first half against Georgia; the most on record (since 1980) by a team in the first half of a knockout stage game at the UEFA European Championship. Indeed, their 35 shots overall were their most in a match at either the World Cup (since 1966) or EUROs (since 1980).
- Lamine Yamal has made two assists for Spain at EURO 2004 (v Croatia and Georgia); the first teenager to assist multiple goals at an edition of the UEFA European Championship since Cristiano Ronaldo at EURO 2004 (also two).
- Spain winger Nico Williams became the first player on record at the UEFA European Championship (since 1980) to score a goal, assist a goal, and complete 100% of his passes (46/46) in a game he started.
- Fabián Ruiz has scored three goals in his last four games for Spain in all competitions, having netted just one in his first 22 appearances for his country.
- Robin Le Normand’s own goal saw Spain concede at EURO 2024 for the first time, while their last two own goals at major tournaments (World Cup/EUROs) have both come in the round of 16 at the UEFA European Championship: Pedri versus Croatia at EURO 2020 and Le Normand versus Georgia in 2024.
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