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Georgia followed up a dream summer by starting their UEFA Nations League Group B1 campaign with an emphatic 4-1 victory over the Czech Republic, mere months after the nations drew in their first head-to-head.
Pre-match, Georges Mikautadze was handed his award for top-scoring at Euro 2024, although relegated Czech Republic showed no interest in partaking in niceties against their promoted opposition. Instead, they swiftly got to delivering threatening balls into Georgia’s box, with Patrik Schick forcing a strong save from Giorgi Mamardashvili before Ladislav Krejci's header looped over the crossbar.
Giorgi Chakvetadze was the man taking up promising positions for the hosts, although a driving run culminated in a wild effort and he then fired too close to Matej Kovar. There was still a blow for Ivan Hasek with Matej Rynes being forced off injured before the half-hour mark had been reached. Giorgi Kochorashvili then came agonisingly close to finding the bottom corner with a shot on the turn shortly after the enforced change.
Having got on top, Georgia conjured a blistering break that ended in Krejci’s eagerness to challenge Khvicha Kvaratskhelia seeing him concede a penalty that the Jvarosnebi’s talismanic winger calmly converted. Lukas Kalvach was one of two Czech players introduced ahead of the restart, although he played a sloppy pass within two minutes that was intercepted by Mikautadze but not punished. It still wasn’t long until Georgia doubled their lead, as Chakvetadze raced forward and squeezed the ball under Kovar.
Mikautadze finally got himself on the scoresheet shortly after the hour mark, meeting Luka Lochoshvili’s pinpoint cross with a clinical first-time volley. There was a third goal in 13 minutes as Chakvetadze dinked the ball into the perfect position for Kochorashvili to break through the Czech bodies and head it out of Kovar’s reach. In the 80th minute, Kalvach beat Mamardashvili with a sweet strike after Ondrej Lingr’s initial effort was saved.
That was all the consolation the Czechs would get, as Georgia got off to a perfect start in their first second-flight campaign in the Nations League while going a fifth consecutive match unbeaten in Tbilisi. In contrast, Czech Republic followed up their worst Euros as an independent nation with a fifth consecutive UNL defeat.
