As of: March 28, 2024, 7:50 a.m
By: Christoph Klaucke
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Willy Sagnol leads Georgia to Germany for the 2024 European Championship. The coach and former Bayern star gives the outsider their first participation in a major tournament.
Tbilisi – The 2024 European Championship already has its first sensation a good two and a half months before the start of the tournament: the blatant outsider Georgia completely surprisingly qualified for the European Championship in Germany. What hardly anyone expected was made possible by one person in particular: Georgia coach Willy Sagnol. The Frenchman was once celebrated as a crowd favorite at FC Bayern and achieved legendary status in Munich, and now an entire country bows to him.
Georgia sensationally qualified for the 2024 European Championship
The new day had long since dawned when the joy-drunk people on Republic Square in Tbilisi went completely wild. Long after the end of a magical evening, the country's new heroes climbed onto the stage in the specially created fan zone in the Georgian capital and celebrated with all the thousands who were not among the 50,000 eyewitnesses to the sensation at the Boris Paichadze Stadium.
Right in the middle of the hustle and bustle stood Iraqi Kobachidze, head of the government of 3.7 million Georgians, almost bursting with pride at the significance of the sporting feat for the entire country. “This is the happiness that unites us,” he shouted, “these boys are heroes. I would like to express my great love to everyone.” He also did this by immediately announcing to the players that they would be awarded the Order of Honor of Georgia.
Willy Sagnol is giving countless Georgians an unforgettable experience: taking part in the 2024 European Championship. © One Inch/Aflosport/imago
The whole country bows to Bayern legend Sagnol
After a dramatic 4:2 on penalties (0:0 aet) against the big favorites Greece, the Georgian national football team qualified for a major tournament for the first time. Led by coach “Willyyy” Sagnol, a full-back at FC Bayern from 2000 to 2009 and also interim coach there for a few days in 2017, the number 77 in the world rankings will play their first European Championship game against Turkey on June 18th in Dortmund.
Sagnol could hardly believe his luck and had already said at the press conference after the game that he would pay “to feel what I feel today”. The 47-year-old, who has been in office for just over three years, was not always without controversy and was reminded of the criticism in the hour of his greatest success. “I know that at times in the past some people have thought that maybe I should have left,” Sagnol said. "That's what I sometimes try to explain: If you want to achieve something, you need time." In football, you simply "can't change everything in a month or in six months."
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Willy Sagnol leads Georgia to their first European Championship participation after a penalty shootout
“Let's go Georgia, we have made history,” shouted SSC Napoli attacker Khwitscha Kwarazchelia arm in arm with goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who had earned hero status with the saved penalty by Greece team captain Tasos Bakasetas. As did the late substitute Nika Kvekveskiri from Lech Poznan, who somehow managed to get the decisive shot from the spot past former Stuttgart goalkeeper Odisseas Vlachodimos.
The best footballers in the republic in the Caucasus only finished fourth in their qualifying group - but their passable performance in the Nations League gave them the chance to take part in the European Championship in Germany via the play-offs. There, the team led by their superstar Kwarazchelia first defeated Luxembourg 2-0 with two goals from Budi Siwsiwadze from Karlsruher SC.
Ex-Bayern star Willy Sagnol is looking for a new challenge after the European Championships
“We are a unit, we always stick together,” said Kwarazchelia about the secret of the team’s success, which will also face Portugal and the Czech Republic in Group F at the European Championships. After that, the Georgian association president Levan Kobiashvili, a 16-year Bundesliga professional in Freiburg, with Schalke 04 and Hertha BSC, will have to look for a new coach: Sagnol has already announced that he will vacate the post after the European Championships. Meanwhile, the future of German coach Julian Nagelsmann is still uncertain - is a Bayern return becoming more and more likely?
(ck/sid)