Football

Georgia v Scotland: Euro 2024 qualifying – live


Key events

82 min: McTominay strides out of defence at speed. Kochorashvili chases and cynically clips him to the ground. It’s a yellow card all day long. Then he leans over his victim and cops a shove in the chest. He goes down holding his face. What a performance.

81 min: Armstrong’s first act is to pass the ball straight out of play. Scotland’s frustration is beginning to betray them.

79 min: … and then Scotland send on Ralston and Armstrong for Patterson and Taylor. Finally McTominay gets to take the free kick, and he blams it wildly over the bar.

78 min: … and then Georgia swap Chakvetadze and Lochoshvili for Kalandadze and Davitashvili.

77 min: Before the free kick can be taken, Lochoshvili goes down and takes his sweet time to get up again. Scotland are getting a bit frustrated by what they perceive to be playacting.

76 min: Ferguson, McGregor and McGinn ping the ball crisply down the inside-right channel. Kochorashvili comes across to skittle Ferguson to the ground, just to the right of the D. Free kick coming up.

74 min: Scotland do quite a lot of huffing and puffing. They’re seeing plenty of the ball, but are doing very little with it.

72 min: Shengelia goes down holding his shoulder and is replaced by Azarov.

70 min: A double change for Georgia, as Kvekveskiri and Mikautadze make way for Zivzivadze and Mekvabishvili.

68 min: McLean crosses from the left. Dykes knocks down for McTominay, who shapes like Zinedine Zidane in the 2002 Champions League final but doesn’t connect like him. The ball squirts across the face of goal and out for a goal kick. Ferguson tried to bundle the mishit ball goalwards but Kakabadze ushered him away from it.

ALSO READ  David de Gea rejects Manchester United’s final contract offer paving way for summer exit

67 min: McGinn nicks the ball off Lochoshvili’s toe on the edge of the D. The heist should set up a dangerous Scotland attack, with Dykes and Ferguson both in attendance, but the referee absurdly awards a free kick to Georgia.

65 min: McGregor crosses long from a deep position on the right. Ferguson attempts to win a header on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box, but Mamardashvili rises high to pluck the ball off his neep.

63 min: Mikautadze and Kvaratskhelia bear down on the Scotland box. Ferguson and Porteous stand firm and ensure there’s no way through. This game has suddenly opened up entertainingly. More goals to come, surely.

61 min: Patterson and McLean combine to win a corner down the left. McTominay whips it to the near post. Dykes sends a powerful flicked header towards the top left, but Mamardashvili claws it out. So close to a second equaliser!

60 min: The resulting free kick is swung in from the left by McGinn. McLean flicks it on to nobody in particular. But Scotland win the ball back quickly and McGinn has a whack from distance. The ball deflects and loops high, then back down into the arms of Mamardashvili.

59 min: Kverkvelia is booked for an agricultural slide through the back of Ferguson.

58 min: Kvaratskhelia’s shot wasn’t tight in the corner, mind. A question mark over Clark. It wasn’t an appalling error, and the shot was hit fiercely, but the ball was within the keeper’s reach.

GOAL! Georgia 2-1 Scotland (Kvaratskhelia 57)

A second goal for Kvaratskhelia! The corner’s worked out from right to left. Kvaratskhelia cuts in from the wing, enters the box, and arrows low and hard into the bottom right! Scotland weren’t level for long

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scores
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia restores the lead for Georgia! Photograph: Giorgi Arjevanidze/AFP/Getty Images

56 min: Shengelia shapes to cross long, then tries to surprise Clark by whipping the free kick towards the top-right corner. Clark gets over well to push around the post with two strong hands. But from the corner …

ALSO READ  FA Cup third round ties confirmed as Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal learn fate

55 min: … so having said that, Mikautadze makes good down the inside right and draws a clumsy foul from McLean. A free kick in a dangerous position, just to the right of the Scotland box.

54 min: A simple long pass nearly releases Ferguson down the middle. Georgia, who flew out of the blocks at the start of this second half, suddenly look befuddled.

52 min: McLean and Taylor combine down the inside-left channel. A better ball from the latter would have teed up Dykes on the edge of the box, but he rolls it inaccurately. What a shame.

51 min: McTominay’s goal record for Scotland is now officially absurd. Seven goals in seven qualifying matches! He’s not been too shabby for Manchester United either. One of the players of the season so far.

GOAL! Georgia 1-1 Scotland (McTominay 49)

Who else? A seventh goal for Scott McTominay in this campaign! And it’s a nice one. Some crisp triangulation down the middle by the Scots. McLean then slips to McTominay, just to the right of the D. He digs it out from under his feet and whistles a low drive into the bottom right!

Scott McTominay celebrates
Scott McTominay keeps up his amazing scoring record for Scotland. Photograph: Giorgi Arjevanidze/AFP/Getty Images

47 min: Kvaratskhelia turns on the jets and skins Porteous down the left. Patterson comes across to concede a corner. The set piece is cut back for Chakvetadze, who blazes over from distance.

Ryan Porteous controls the ball.
Ryan Porteous looking to make a move. Photograph: Giorgi Arjevanidze/AFP/Getty Images

46 min: A slight surprise that Gilmour has been hooked. He was one of Scotland’s better players in the first half.

Georgia get the second half underway. Lewis Ferguson and Kenny McLean have replaced Ryan Christie and Billy Gilmour.

Half-time entertainment. Hoagy Carmichael might have had a different state on his mind, but yearning is yearning. Oh Scotland.

HALF TIME: Georgia 1-0 Scotland

It’s happening again.

45 min +2: Porteous looks long for Dykes. Easy for the Georgian defence. It’s better when Scotland pass it around, and they work it wide to Patterson, whose low cross is hacked clear.

ALSO READ  Zinchenko proposes to stunning girlfriend in stadium hours after kissing her live on TV following Ukraine’s Euros berth

45 min +1: The first of three additional first-half minutes ticks by.

45 min: Kochorashvili again goes down holding his face, this time in the vague environs of McGregor. The referee shows no interest in his carry-on.

44 min: All of Scotland’s best work has come down Patterson’s flank. He digs out an excellent cross from near the right-hand corner flag. Christie wins a header at the far stick but unconvincingly so. Still, baby steps for the Scottish attack.

43 min: Mikautadze nutmegs Porteous with a backheel. Dearie me.

41 min: McGinn slides a cute pass down the right to release Patterson, who checks back to make some space, then swings a dangerous ball into the middle. There are no white shirts, sadly for Scotland, though Mamardashvili is confused by his own defender Kashia and bats the ball away in an unconvincing style. Again, there’s nobody in Scottish white to take advantage of the loose ball.

39 min: Kvaratskhelia is fine to continue. “I think it was on these very MBM pages that a reader dubbed Scott McTominay the Scottish Maradona (or something like that) for his recent crucial goal-getting exploits for his country. Well, McMaradominay is currently being shown up by Kvaradona! Will the real Maradona please stand up?” Peter Oh, ladies and gentlemen. He’s here all week. Try the chakapuli.

38 min: Kvaratskhelia stays down holding his arm, having landed awkwardly. On comes the physio with some magic spray.

37 min: Christie is booked for sliding into the back of Kvaratskhelia. He can have no complaints.

35 min: Scotland come again, though. McGinn is in a lively mood and he dribbles down the right before swinging one into the mixer. Kverkvelia is forced to head over for a corner, from which … yep, nothing, again. An easy evening for Mamardashvili in the Georgia goal so far.

34 min: … nothing.



READ SOURCE

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.