Ukraine, Georgia are headed to Euros

AP:

UKRAINE AND Georgia are going to the 2024 European Championship after bringing late drama to win emotional qualifying playoffs yesterday.

Mykhailo Mudryk’s sweeping low shot in the 84th minute lifted Ukraine to a 2-1 victory over Iceland and a second late comeback win in the playoffs for a team representing the war-torn country.

The “home” game for Ukraine was played in neutral Poland because international games cannot be played in Kyiv for security reasons during the Russian military invasion. Ukraine fans’ displayed yellow-and-blue banners criticizing Russia and its president Vladimir Putin in the stadium in Wroclaw.

Georgia star forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will make his major tournament debut at Euro 2024 after beating Greece 4-2 in a penalty shootout. It had been a tense and testy 0-0 draw in a raucous atmosphere in Tbilisi.

Wild celebrations saw thousands of Georgia fans in a 50,000-strong crowd at the national stadium pour onto the field and some climbed the goalposts to sit on the crossbar.

The 24-nation Euro 2024 line-up in Germany was finalised when Poland beat 5-4 on penalties in their playoff final in Cardiff.

Poland will go into a tough Group D with France, the Netherlands and Austria.

Ukraine is in Group F with Belgium, Romania and Slovakia.

Georgia goes into Group F to face Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal, Turkey and the Czech Republic.

Euro 2024 will be played in 10 German cities from June 14 to July 14.

Two years ago, Ukraine fell just short in playoffs to reach the 2022 World Cup, eventually losing to Wales with a team emotionally drained from the effort four months into their homeland’s invasion.

Ukraine would not be denied this time and twice within five days rallied in the second half and found a late goal to win 2-1. Last week, Coach Serhiy Rebrov’s had trailed 1-0 in Bosnia-Herzegovina until the 85th.

In a game of stunning goals, Iceland led in the 30th on Albert Gudmundsson’s curling shot.

Viktor Tsygankov levelled in the 54th from just outside the Iceland penalty box, close to the spot where Chelsea winger Mudryk would win the game 30 minutes later.

Ukraine starts against Romania in Munich on June 17, then plays Slovakia in Düsseldorf on June 21 and top-seeded Belgium on June 26 in Stuttgart.