England discover Euro 2024 last-16 opponent as Georgia stun Portugal with 2-0 victory
England will face Slovakia in the next round
REUTERS
England will face Slovakia in the last 16 of Euro 2024 after Georgia pulled off a shock 2-0 win over Portugal.
The Three Lions were far from convincing in their group, but a win and two goalless draws were enough for them to secure top spot.
That also put them on the side of the draw that avoids the likes of Spain, Germany, Portugal and France until the final.
But their last-16 opponent was still undecided and dependent on the final standings of Group F.
England will face Slovakia in the next round
REUTERS
Group E's conclusion meant it was going to be either Slovakia or the Netherlands for England at the start of the knockout stage.
If Turkey and Portugal beat the Czech Republic and Georgia respectively then England would have faced the Dutch side.
Turkey got the job done against Czech Republic as they won 2-1, but Georgia managed to pull off a huge upset against a much-changed Portugal.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Felix were still among those included in the starting line-up in a strong side.
But Khvicha Kvaratskhelia sparked pandemonium among Georgian fans inside just two minutes with a brilliant strike to give his side a 1-0 lead.
Portugal threatened an equaliser throughout with Valencia shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili pulling off one of the saves of the tournament to keep the score at 1-0.
Georgia then gave themselves some breathing room just after the hour mark when they were awarded a penalty.
Georges Mikautadze stepped up and confidently scored past Diogo Costa for his third goal of the tournament.
Slovakia finished third in Group E
REUTERS
That put Georgia in a comfortable position to pick up all three points against a Portugal side that had already secured top spot in their group.
England will now face Slovakia on Sunday at 5pm BST in their last-16 fixture with the winner going up against either Switzerland or Italy in the quarter-final.
Georgia will progress to the next round where they will face Spain, who were the only team to win all their group games.
LATEST SPORT NEWS:
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored the opening goal for Georgia
REUTERS
Round of 16 fixtures
Georgia vs Spain
Germany vs Denmark
Portugal vs Slovenia
France vs Belgium
Romania vs Netherlands
Austria vs Turkey
England vs Slovakia
Switzerland vs Italy