Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, the US Embassy to Georgia, and German Ambassador Peter Fischer praised Georgia’s national football team for their “excellent” performance at Euro 2024, despite their 4:1 loss to Spain the previous day.

In his comments, Kobakhidze highlighted that he was “charged with positive emotions from beginning to end” and emphasized that, despite the defeat, it was a “historic achievement” for the country.

“Everyone knows that Spain is one of the best teams in Europe, if not the best. Therefore, this game was difficult, but the boys gave everything in this game. Thanks to them, history was written. For the first time in 30 years, our team was among the 16 best teams in Europe. This is history, and it means that Georgian football has taken a big step forward. They often talk about increasing the class. It is impossible to increase the class without such tournaments,” the PM said.

In its social media post, the US Embassy to Georgia said, “We join all Georgian fans in thanking the national team for their excellent performance at the European Championship. What an exciting game and historical path. We wish you much success in the future”.

Ambassador Fischer praised the team for their “strong and passionate performance” and added, “Looking forward to seeing you at the next big tournament.”

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, a member of the Georgian national team, expressed his gratitude after the end of the Georgia-Spain match: “By being so united and standing by our side, we will achieve everything and go further. We deserve all of this, where we are today. We really made a dream come true. With such a difficult opponent, in my opinion, we were a little unlucky. I want to thank everyone very much; we really did not expect so many people to come.”

Budu Zivzivadze, another key player, emphasized his respect for all the decisions made by coach Willy Sagnol and thanked him “even for the few minutes” he played.