Portugal vs Georgia live updates: Euro 2024 match team news ...

International football competitions do not have a free draw like the FA Cup, or a ranked system like the NFL playoffs.

Instead, the Euro 2024 knockout stages are a pre-determined format that teams merely slot into, from group winners to the rather complicated third-place allocations.

With tournaments condensed into a few weeks in one nation, it is felt beneficial for tournament and team planning.

But with how the group-stage draw and games play out, it also raises the possibility of the knockout brackets ending up lop-sided.

You still get inconsistencies too, like Austria’s seven-day break between the end of their group matches yesterday and their first knockout round next Tuesday — whereas Spain’s opponents in the round of 16 (still to be determined) will have had just four days’ rest.

It is bound to have an impact — and you can read up on all of it with the wonderful Oli Kay below.

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Euro 2024 and the lopsided draw affecting which teams are considered likely finalists

Euro 2024 has been a lot of fun already. There have been outstanding individual performances, but the star of the show so far?

Some guy called Own Goal.

Four of the opening 42 goals of the tournament were scored by the lad (and he’s had one taken back) — that’s a 10 percent ratio any player would be proud of.

We are now up to seven, which is already the most of any European Championship bar the last one, which had a record 11 by the end.

Maybe we’ll get another one tonight. In the meantime, check out the delightful Tim Spiers' piece celebrating the phenomenon.

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Celebrating Own Goal, Euro 2024’s leading goalscorer

Perhaps it wasn’t the most likely threat before Euro 2024 began, but Georgia striker Georges Mikautadze has two goals from two games so far and that’s as many as anyone (other than Mr Own Goal) at this tournament.

Both right-footed finishes in the penalty box — one of them a penalty — has the 23-year-old Metz forward in a good position to make an even greater impact in Germany.

Georgia will also hope it frees Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to do more damage around him. The Napoli forward is already among one of the most prolific dribblers at Euro 2024, ranking fifth (14).

The second half is about to begin in the final acts of Group E — and we are still some way from knowing how the final standings will look.

In Stuttgart and reminiscent of the woeful finish to Group C last night, it’s Ukraine 0-0 Belgium. You can follow that one live with Ed Mackey right here.

Then in Frankfurt, Slovakia had taken the lead over Romania through Ondrej Duda’s 24th minute header, only for Razvan Marin’s penalty (37) to equalise. You can follow that one with Max Mathews here.

So as it stands, Romania will win the group with Belgium finishing second and facing France in the last 16, Slovakia pretty likely to make the knockouts in third and Ukraine heading out.

But there’s a long way to go in this group yet.

If you get a wriggle on, you’ll still have time to check out the latest edition of The Totally Football Show with James Richardson.

Joined by Tom Williams, Jay Harris and more after an exciting day and dull night, the pod looks ahead to all today’s Euro 2024 action.

It also assesses England’s limp performance as well as some France sloppiness, with Julien Laurens.

Grab a listen and subscribe right here.

I was really looking forward to seeing Rafael Leao in action at Euro 2024 — but you won’t see him tonight I’m afraid.

The Portugal forward will be serving a one-match ban against Georgia after picking up a booking in each of the first two group games.

Not only that. Both bookings were for simulation, AKA diving. Hopefully Leao has learned from all that and can still shine at this tournament.

For those wondering, any player will get a one-game suspension for collecting two yellow cards in separate matches — but the tallies are reset after the quarter-finals so as not to unduly affect a potential final.

You can read up on the Euro 2024 suspension rules below.

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What are Euro 2024 yellow card suspension rules? Which players are at risk?

It is still a developing picture of course, and in a few hours’ time all our questions will have been answered. But for now, here’s what we know:

The rest is fair game.

There will be two rest days after today’s group-stage climax before the knockouts begin.

The Round of 16 starts on Saturday, with two matches. Here is a full breakdown of the knockout-stage dates:

Here’s one to subscribe to. The Daily Football Briefing is your morning podcast hit inside 10 minutes every day from The Athletic. This morning’s episode reflected on:

Enjoy the fun with Iain Macintosh every morning throughout the summer tournaments and beyond — and you can subscribe on your chosen podcast player right here.

Before Group F figures itself out later, we’ve got Group E now playing out its final act.

Both games are just kicking off, with all four teams on three points and able to finish in any of the four spots.

We will bring you the key updates in here, but you can also follow both games more closely with us. Just click on the links below:

We will have all the play by play action from Georgia vs Portugal here, as well as keeping you up to date with all the key developments in the other Group F game, as Czech Republic face Turkey in Hamburg.

But if you want to follow that one more closely too, then we’ve got you covered.

Simply head over to join Max Mathews with the link, right here.

Portugal have little on the line tonight, with Roberto Martinez’s side having already qualified for the last 16 and won the group with a game to spare.

It’s a different story for their opponents tonight, however. Georgia will go through if they beat Portugal — and if they fail to do that, then their tournament will be over.

The situation is the same for Czech Republic, who must beat Turkey to reach the round of 16.

Which means Turkey need to avoid defeat against the Czech Republic to finish second and go through.

If they lose and Georgia don’t beat Portugal, Vincenzo Montella’s side will finish third with three points and will most likely have to hope their goal-difference sees them through.

But if Turkey lose and Georgia win, they will be eliminated.

Portugal have already won their two matches in Group F. They started by snatching a late 2-1 win from behind against Czech Republic.

That was followed by a much more comfortable 3-0 victory over Turkey, who had already tasted victory themselves — beating Georgia 3-1 in a fabulous game with brilliant goals in Dortmund.

But Georgia and Czech Republic then earned their first point, with a lively 1-1 draw in Hamburg that either side could have won.

Easy. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is the undoubted star of the show.

In his central role, there’s less space and fewer opportunities to isolate defenders in one-on-one situations.

But his dribbling ability and movement inside the penalty area are difference-makers for this Georgia side.

Kvaratskhelia’s five goals and three assists helped Georgia top their group in the 2022-23 Nations League, giving them a place in the Euro 2024 qualifying play-offs that earned them a spot at the tournament.

Only 11 goals separate him from Georgia’s all-time top scorer, Shota Arveladze (26 goals in 61 caps), even though the Napoli winger has played 29 games fewer.

Goalkeepers: Giorgi Loria (Dinamo Tbilisi), Giorgi Mamardashvili (Valencia), Luka Gugeshashvili (Qarabag).

Defenders: Guram Kashia (Slovan Bratislava), Otar Kakabadze (Krakow), Solomon Kvirkvelia (Al Okhdood), Lasha Dvali (APOEL), Jemal Tabidze (Panetolikos), Luka Lochoshvili (Cremonese), Giorgi Gocholeishvili (Shakhtar Donetsk), Giorgi Gvelesiani (Persepolis).

Midfielders: Gabriel Sigua (Basel), Nika Kvekveskiri (Lech Poznań), Otar Kiteishvili (Sturm Graz), Saba Lobzhanidze (Atlanta United), Zuriko Davitashvili (Bordeaux), Giorgi Chakvetadze (Watford), Levan Shengelia (Panetolikos), Giorgi Tsitaishvili (Dinamo Batumi), Anzor Mekvabishvili (Universitatea Craiova), Giorgi Kochorashvili (Levante), Sandro Altunashvili (Wolfsberger).

Forwards: Giorgi Kvilitaia (APOEL), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli), Budu Zivzivadze (Karlsruher), Georges Mikautadze (Metz).

The second oldest player at Euro 2024 (behind Portuguese defender Pepe) is Cristiano Ronaldo — at 39 years 4 months — and you’ve probably heard of him.

Well, if Ronaldo scores tonight he would become the oldest goalscorer in Euros history, surpassing Austria’s Ivica Vastic at 38 years 257 days.

He also continues to extend his record of most European Championship games (tonight would make it 28).

Ronaldo is already the male player to have featured at the most Euro tournaments. This is his sixth.

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto), Rui Patricio (Roma), Jose Sa (Wolves).

Defenders: Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Danilo Pereira (PSG), Antonio Silva (Benfica), Pepe (Porto), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting), Nelson Semedo (Wolves), Joao Cancelo (Barcelona), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Nuno Mendes (PSG).

Midfielders: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Vitinha (PSG), Ruben Neves (Al Hilal), Joao Palhinha (Fulham), Joao Neves (Benfica), Matheus Nunes (Manchester City).

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr), Diogo Jota (Liverpool), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Joao Felix (Barcelona, ​​on loan from Atletico Madrid), Rafael Leao (AC Milan), Goncalo Ramos (Benfica), Pedro Neto (Wolves), Francisco Conceicao (Porto).

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