Roninho: “We are taking one step at a time”
Georgia on my mind
Sometimes in sport, you get those “pinch yourself” moments. The unexpected triumph or the underdog upset. Debutants Georgia have gone and done just that in this 2022 UEFA Futsal Euro.
If you had asked manager, Avtandil Asatiani, what his expectations were after having played two matches, not even in his wildest of dreams would they become the first team in the group to guarantee their progression to the last eight.
Leo Messi, Neymar and Suarez gave birth to FC Barcelona’s “La Remontada” when they overturned a 4-1 deficit and beat PSG 6-1 in “that” UEFA Champion League second leg tie. This Georgian team could undisputedly adopt the term and adapt it to the “La Remontada Kings”. They just did the unthinkable.
On the day of their official debut in this level, they faced Azerbaijan, both teams adopted an entire (apart from the goalkeepers) Brazilian-born line up.
Vilela, one of Azerbaijan’s many threats, got himself a brace. However, it wasn’t long before the game started to turn. With goals from Elisandro, Thales and Archil Sebiskveradzeand there it was, Georgia had won 3-2.
In their second group match, the story was similar. Bosnia held a 1-0 lead until half time. In the second half and with stop-clock, 20 minutes would be more than enough to turn it around. Come the end of the match, it was another Georgian win.
On the final whistle, the emotional celebrations said it all: Georgia had just given themselves a real solid chance to go through to the next stage.
History making
They became the first debutants to win both of their opening matches since Azerbaijan achieved the feat in 2010. Six points from two games meant they would be comfortably waiting on the next game’s result between Azerbaijan and Spain to find out their fate.
A 2-2 draw between Spain and Azerbaijan meant Georgia progressed to the next round with a game to play, an achievement of epic proportions. By how enthusiastically they celebrated at the end of their game, you could only imagine the scenes at the team hotel.
Georgia’s number ten, Roninho has played his Futsal in Georgia, Azerbaijan, France, Ukraine, Cyprus and currently in Belgium. He has had two excellent games in this tournament.
He spoke to the Sports Gazette about how he felt when the final whistle was blown and the way in which both games unfolded.
“I have to confess, it was a feeling of pure joy, but at the same time we knew it was just another win. At that moment and time, we were not 100% qualified for the quarterfinals because everything depended on the next game between Azerbaijan and Spain”.
“It looked like a rerun of the first match, didn’t it? We were speeding the tempo of the game too much and trying to decide the game too quickly, that hurt us. At half-time we talked and found the best way to play was with more movement and more patience when attacking”.
https://twitter.com/UEFAFutsal/status/1486792303935119367
He commented on the mental strength and belief that his team had to show when it was not going their way.
“The most important thing we did was, we did not lose concentration after going 2-0 down. At that moment Elisandro was doing very well in the game, so we looked to get him involved as much as possible, he was our best solution”.
Elisandro’s played a major part in helping Georgia turn both games around. In the game against Azerbaijan, he scored a fantastic solo goal where he used his strength to turn Chovdarov and chip Kurdov with all the finesse in the world.
When asking Roninho about his teammates Elisandro, Thales and goalkeeper and captain Zviad Kupatadze he believed they all played a great part collectively and were protagonists in their individual ways.
“Elisandro had a small ankle sprain but thank God it was nothing serious so he will treat it and recover and as soon as possible he can come back to help us. He is a great player and we are so used to playing with him”.
“Thales is a very decisive player and very important for our team. He will try to help us as usual. He has very accurate passes and powerful shots”.
“Kupatadze is an extraordinary person, a Georgian futsal legend and with many playing years with Gazpron in Russia. With all his experience and background, he gives us a lot of security and confidence at the back and always pulls miraculous saves”.
Taking the game to the big time
Part of the Georgian dreams have become reality; they are now guaranteed classification. Looking ahead to their next game, the pressure is off and they will have the tranquility to express their best Futsal. This is not a bad time to face the seven-time champions.
“This is our first time at this level, so we have both feet on the ground and we know that all the 16 best teams in Europe were here, so there are no easy games. We are taking one step at the time with positive thinking and looking for the best result possible”.
“Those were two super difficult games and we know that the further we go the harder they get. We have to be psychologically prepared to fight against everything and everyone”.
“It would be very good to come first in the group and we will do our best to fight against the very strong and traditional Spanish team. We know that nothing will be easy and that each match is a huge battle”.
https://twitter.com/GeorgiaGff/status/1486430001151057921
Currently, Georgia sits top of Group D with six points, followed by Spain with four, Azerbaijan with one and Bosnia and Herzegovina with zero. The fight for first and second place is still alive and the decisive matchday three games are being played tomorrow at 16.30pm GMT.
The advantages of coming top of the group will be just enough fuel for both Georgia and Spain to throw all they have at it. No matter the result, Georgia is qualified. They can be proud of what they achieved and have already made their country and their families proud.
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