Spain beat Georgia 3-1 in their last Euro 2024 qualifying Group A game on Sunday, but it was a sad win for the hosts because midfielder Gavi hurt his knee.
Spain finished with 21 points after seven wins in eight games. They had only lost to Scotland, which was in second place and had already qualified for the finals. They had 17 points after a 3-3 draw with Norway.
Georgia came in fourth with eight points, three behind Norway in third. Cyprus came in last with no points.
But for Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, it was the worst win of his career because Barcelona player Gavi, who is 19 years old, left the pitch in tears during the first half while holding his hurt knee.
“This is a very tough time for Gavi, Barcelona, the national team, and me. It looks like we lost the game,” De la Fuente said at a news gathering.
“This is the bad part of football.” I’m truly sorry. Let’s wait for the tests to show how bad the damage is. “This is the worst victory I’ve ever had in my whole life.”
In the fourth minute, Robin Le Normand scored his first goal for his country by heading in a free kick from Ferran Torres on the left side of the pitch. This gave Spain the lead.
Georgia tied the game six minutes later after a quick break and an easy finish from forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. This happened before Gavi got hurt in a collision with another player.
“We can’t have the right kind of party.” “The injury to Gavi is a big blow, and I’m really upset,” Le Normand said. “It wasn’t my best game with the national team, there are things to improve” .
Ten minutes into the second half, the home team took the lead again with a shot from Torres. To celebrate, he held up Gavi’s number nine jersey.
In the 72nd minute, Luka Lochoshvili of Georgia put the ball in his own net to seal the win for Spain.
“An important victory to end on a good note, but we leave with a bittersweet feeling because of Gavi’s injury,” stated Torres.
“We don’t know the extent of the injury, but knowing how much of a warrior Gavi is, we think it could be serious.”
