<p>Down to 10 men for 75 minutes at home, Georgia hung on to force penalties against Euro 2004 champions Greece. A scoreless 120 minutes meant spot kicks would send one of these teams through to Germany this summer to compete in the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/uefa-european-championship-tv-schedule/">European Championship</a>. Georgia converted on four out of its five penalties in the shootout, while Greece, which went second, only scored two out of four. As a result, Georgia advanced to the tournament proper this summer.</p>



<p>That is an especially notable occurrence because Georgia has never played in a major competition. This is a nation that has never truly been close to qualifying for either. Yet, the production of several top talents, highlighted by Napoli sensation Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, has propelled Georgia into <a href="https://twitter.com/worldsoccertalk/status/1772713117580927370" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a first major tournament</a>. Now, droves of Georgia supporters will flock to Germany to see their team in a top-level competition for the first time.</p>



<p>The March international break was the deciding point for 12 teams looking to secure one of the three spaces available at Euro 2024. The reason Georgia was in the playoffs at all was because of its performance in the Nations League C. As a group winner, Georgia earned promotion to Nations League B and a spot in the Euro 2024 playoffs. In terms of actual qualifying, Georgia finished fourth in its group, and only the top two teams automatically qualified. </p>



<p>Georgia’s first game came against Luxembourg. A 2-0 win at home in Tbilisi set up this tie against Greece, also in Tbilisi. Despite Georgian goalkeeper Giorgi Loria picking up a red card in first-half stoppage time, Greece failed to break down the Georgian defense.</p>



<h2>Georgia is the only debutante at Euro 2024</h2>



<p>Having now qualified for the European Championships, Georgia can look forward to a first group-stage appearance at any major international competition. For Georgia, that means three games against other top European sides. Yet, the three teams Georgia is facing may not be the top contenders for the trophy. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="670" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20240326_WST_497524_Kvara-Euro-2024-1200x670_6f30ff07.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=670" alt="" class="wp-image-497528" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/03/Kvara-Euro-2024-1200x670.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/03/Kvara-Euro-2024-300x168.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/03/Kvara-Euro-2024-768x429.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/03/Kvara-Euro-2024.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



<p><a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/nations/portugal-national-team-tv-schedule/">Portugal</a>, undoubtedly the top team in Group F with Georgia, is looking for a second European Championship title. The other two teams in the group are Turkey and the Czech Republic. Turkey can be a challenging opponent having finished at the top of its Euro 2024 qualifying group. Likewise, the Czech Republic lost just once in qualifying. These are not easy games for Georgia by any means, but there are certainly harder groups.</p>



<p>An in-form Khvicha Kvaratskhelia can be the impetus for Georgia to have success at the European Championships. While the Napoli winger has played in Champions League knockout ties and has won the Scudetto, many of his teammates will be playing the biggest games of their careers in this European Championship. The 23-man squad is split among clubs in 16 nations. Therefore, Willy Sagnol has the challenge of allowing these players to blend despite going up against different styles at the club level.</p>



<p>That worked against Greece to set this opportunity up. Now, Georgia can enjoy an appearance in Germany on the European stage. </p>



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<div class="ck-youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="How to watch EURO 2024 on TV &amp; Streaming 🏆" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n0Q39wz9ojA?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
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<p><em>PHOTOS: IMAGO</em>.</p>

Georgia qualifies for its first major tournament at Euro 2024

Down to 10 men for 75 minutes at home, Georgia hung on to force penalties against Euro 2004 champions Greece in this Euro 2024 playoff.

<p>The agent for <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/napoli-tv-schedule-for-viewers-in-united-states/">Napoli</a> star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has admitted that his client could depart the Italian club this summer. Kvaratskhelia is widely regarded as one of the top young wingers in all of Europe currently. The reigning <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/serie-a-tv-schedule/">Serie A</a> champions previously grabbed the Georgian playmaker for just $14.5 million back in 2022. </p>



<p>Although it was only his first campaign in Italy, Kvaratskhelia helped guide his new club to the Scudetto. Not only was he a key figure in the triumph, but Kvara was awarded Serie A’s Most Valuable Player following the successful season. In total, the winger racked up 14 goals and 17 assists on the year in all competitions.</p>



<p>Napoli is now hoping to agree a contract extension with Kvaratskhelia to keep him with the team. This comes even though the star only just joined the club 18 months ago. The Georgia international’s current contract is set to expire in 2027. However, he is reportedly only earning around $32,000 per week. This would make Kvaratskhelia one of the lowest-paid first-team players on the team.</p>



<h2>Kvara’s agent admits the issue will become clear in May</h2>



<p>Aurelio De Laurentiis, Napoli’s president, recently told reporters that he has discussed a contract extension with the star’s agent. “I called Kvara’s entourage three months ago, and we met in my office,” the exec <a href="https://football-italia.net/de-laurentiis-lifts-lid-on-kvaratskhelias-napoli-extension-and-florentino-perezs-super-league-plans/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stated</a> in early February.</p>



<p>“I wrote down what I wanted to do, how to extend his contract and they said not to be worried, that Kvara is happy here and that we’ll talk again at the end of the season.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="670" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20240308_WST_493866_Kvaratskhelia-Napoli-1200x670_b6f371a4.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=670" alt="" class="wp-image-493921" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/03/Kvaratskhelia-Napoli-1200x670.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/03/Kvaratskhelia-Napoli-300x168.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/03/Kvaratskhelia-Napoli-768x429.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/03/Kvaratskhelia-Napoli.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



<p>Nevertheless, Kvaratskhelia’s agent, Mamuka Jugeli, claims his client’s future is not certain in Napoli. “As regards the future, we are talking with the club, we will see what will happen,” Jugeli <a href="https://www.gazzetta.it/Calciomercato/06-03-2024/napoli-l-agente-jugeli-su-kvaratskhelia-andra-via-per-un-offerta-importante.shtml?refresh_ce" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a> the Georgian edition of the <em>Gazzetta</em>. </p>



<p>“He will leave if another club presents an offer that the management will not be able to refuse. I can’t talk about a specific amount, these are De Laurentiis’s assessments. I protect Khvicha’s contract and work. Everything will be clear at the end of May.”</p>



<h2>Italian club has control of the situation</h2>



<p>Napoli will surely need to drastically improve Kvaratskhelia’s contract if they want to keep hold of him. According to <a href="https://www.capology.com/club/napoli/salaries/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reports</a>, there are 18 other players at the club that currently make more money than the winger. This does not accurately align with the 23-year-old playmaker’s ability on the pitch.</p>



<p>It remains up for interpretation how much Napoli could earn with a potential sale of the star to another team. However, there are suggestions that the Italian side may set an asking price of over $100 million. This massive amount reflects the player’s ability, age, and length of current contract at the club. Despite the agent’s remarks, Napoli is fairly positive regarding the situation.</p>



<p>Although they recently claimed their first domestic title in over 30 years, Napoli is struggling in the current campaign. The club sits seventh in the standings and will need a late push up the table to grab a <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/champions-league-tv-schedule/">Champions League</a> qualifying place.</p>



<p><em>PHOTOS: IMAGO</em>.</p>

Napoli star's agent says client may leave club in massive move

The agent for Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has admitted that his client could very well depart the Italian club this summer.

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Georgia qualifies for its first major tournament at Euro 2024

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Napoli star's agent says client may leave club in massive move