The Athletic FC: Georgia stun Ronaldo on historic night; why are Copa pitches small? (2024)

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Hello!Ronaldo’s raging.Kvaradona’s glowing. The group stages of the Euros are done.

• Georgia’sfinest hour
• Greenwood toMarseille?
• Pitch problemsat the Copa
• Messitakes the cake

Euros Zone:Georgia’s greatest night

It would be wrong to say we told you so becauseKhvicha Kvaratskheliais no new kid on the block. He’s been tearing it up with Napoli in Italy. Paris Saint-Germain would love to sign him. There’s a cult movement around the rugged free spirit they callKvaradona.

But when we singled him out as one of our picks fromThe Athletic’s Radar scouting guidefor Euro 2024, it was a reflection of the fact that even with a country as minor as Georgia,Kvaratskhelia had the flair to make waves in Germany.

And lo, it came to pass.

Portugal went weak last night, resting countless players for their final group game, but forget that. A 2-0 win overCristiano Ronaldo and cowas Georgia’s greatest night. Kvaratskhelia set it up with his party trick, a marauding run and goal, and he took the shirt off the back ofa very sulky Ronaldoafterwards.

By rights, a nation with a population of nearly four million should have been making up the numbers at Euro 2024. Instead, they’re into the knockouts. Many of us have been cynical about UEFA’s expansion of the European Championship but without it, we wouldn’t have this marvellous fairytale. Touché.

Seeing red

As Georgia felt the love, Turkey and Czech Republic lost all of theirs in aremarkably ill-tempered gamein Hamburg. I say remarkable: ‘unprecedented’ would be a better word.Sixteen yellow cards and two redsis the most a single Euros fixture has seenin the competition’s history.

So many players wanted a piece of it thatPatrik Schickwas among those booked — despite him being injured and on the Czech bench (there were five cards for people not even on the field). To a point, you can excuse the friction. Georgia beating Portugal meant it was all on the line in Group F, and Turkey’s 2-1 win sent the Czechs out. Shirt-swapping wasn’t in order at full time.

Where does this leave us?

The group stages at Euro 2024 are done. So here’s a rundown of who’s gone through, and how:

Group winners: Germany, Spain, England, Austria, Romania, Portugal

Second place: Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, France, Belgium, Turkey

Third place: Netherlands, Georgia, Slovakia, Slovenia.

The Netherlands finished as the best third-placed team by virtue of their disciplinary record. Georgia sat behind them, with more goals scored than Slovakia. Slovakia, in third, amassed more points than Slovenia in fourth. Get it?

Two notable things: firstly, none of the big teams have fallen. And secondly,Ukraine went out with four points, one more than Slovenia, on the grounds that they finished fourth in Group E (and fourth-placed nations cannot progress). The anomaly is something UEFA might have to ponder in future.

This is how the last 16 shapes up…

England’s qualified success

The peak of Gareth Southgate’s long stretch as England boss traces back to the days when waistcoats were in vogue. Style icon Southgate made them fashionable again. The nation sang about them.The land was at peace.

It seems so long ago. Waistcoats are out. Southgate doesn’t wear one anymore. And if a fairly large proportion of England fans had their way,Southgate would be out too.

One World Cup semi-final appearance (enough to get an underground station in London named after him), and a run to the final of Euro 2020; it’s a neat record which should equate to a certain level of popularity. But Tuesday said it all: England progressing as Group C winners, and their coachpelted in anger with empty beer glasses.

If the juxtaposition baffles you, then it’s an aesthetic thing. Southgate’s tactics are maligned aslimited and conservative;his side have come13th in our group-stage ratings.There’s an impression of him making England’s collective less than the sum of their individual parts.Disillusionment is mounting. The familiarity of eight years is breeding contempt.

Slovakia are up next in the last 16. Southgate is waiting to see ifPhil Fodenwill be available after theManchester City midfielder flew home yesterdayfor the birth of his third child. Either way, it’s a very winnable tie. But something about England and Southgate feels ready to blow.

Transfer Talk 🗣️

• A David Ornstein exclusive:Marseilleare exploring a deal to takeMason GreenwoodfromManchester United.Greenwood’s controversial history isn’t putting the French club off.
• MidfielderIliman Ndiayeisset for a medical ahead of a £15m ($19m) movefromMarseilletoEverton.
• Barcelona have confirmeddefenderLucy Bronze will leave the club following the conclusion of her contract at the end of the month.
• Chelseahave lined up the signings of18-year-old strikerMarc GuiufromBarcelona, and19-year-old defenderAaron AnselminofromBoca Juniors.

Copa Corner: How NFL is affecting pitches and players

It’s all kicking off aboutthe standard of pitches at the Copa America. If it’s any consolation, the pitches at Euro 2024haven’t been winning friends either.

Part of the issue in the U.S. is that the preparation of some NFL stadiums for the Copa required real grass to be laid over synthetic turf.But there’s more to it than that. Have you noticed in certain matches that players taking corners have less space to manoeuvre than they would in an under-stairs cupboard?No wonder it’s producing mistakes.

Many of the arenas being used can’t accommodatea standard FIFA-sized pitch(105m x 68m) so all the surfaces in the Copa have been set to a smaller size (100m x 64m). Come the 2026 World Cup, FIFA will insist on having the larger measurements — which is why $16m (£12.6m) is being spent on altering New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.

There was a way around this. Most MLS pitches are big enough to match FIFA’s requirements, but MLS stadium capacities tend to be smaller than those in the NFL. Which means lower crowds. Which means lower revenues. Which means fewer bottles of Champagne at the Copa organisers’ Christmas parties. Do the maths.

Face Palmer

Catch a match

USMNT face Panama later,with questions for head coach Gregg Berhalter: should he rotate? Should Josh Sargent come into the side?

📺 (Times ET/UK): Group C —USMNT vs Panama: (6pm/11pm) —Fox Sports, Fubo, Premier Sports 1;Uruguay vs Bolivia(9pm/2am); Group C.Fox Sports, Fubo, Premier Sports 1.

Around The Athletic FC 🌎

• Can football crack theNFL/baseball heartland of Texas? Pablo Maurer went around the U.S. statefor four Copa fixtures in four days.
• Developments that don’t surprise you:Manchester Unitedare considering sellingthe naming rights to Old Trafford. I’m amazed it’s taken so long.
• Puma’s advertising spielfor the Copa America ball it produces makes me want to reverse over myself, but fair play: the manufacturer is presentinga bigger and bigger challenge to market leaders Nike and Adidas.
• Echoes of Steve McClaren ditching David Beckham, as new USWNT coachEmma Hayes drops Alex Morganfrom her squad for the Olympics. OurFull Time newsletterandpodcastare all over it.

And Finally… 🎂

The phone rings. It’s a member of Argentina’s squad. They want a birthday cake for Lionel Messi, who’s about to turn 37. It’s 9pm. You’ve got less than three hours.It’s not a wind-up.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Leo Messi (@leomessi)

TheDulce De Leche Bakeryin New Jersey took that call on Sunday.And like world-class pros, they delivered…

(Top picture: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Got a question/feedback? Email us: theathleticfc@theathletic.com

Phil grew up near Edinburgh in Scotland and is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering Leeds United. He previously worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post as its chief football writer. Follow Phil on Twitter @PhilHay_