Georgia's French connection helps them into dreamland

TBILISI/HAMBURG, Germany : Eighteen years ago, an intelligent 29-year-old French defender called Willy Sagnol helped shackle Cristiano Ronaldo in a World Cup semi-final victory for Les Bleus over Portugal.

On Wednesday evening, Sagnol relived the battle with Ronaldo's Portugal, this time as coach of Georgia in their first major international tournament, and won again.

The Portuguese wizard was frustrated at every turn, kicking a water-bottle when substituted, as the now 47-year-old Sagnol masterminded Georgia's greatest sporting triumph since 1991 independence from the Soviet Union.

"It's still a bit difficult to realise what we have done," said a stunned-looking Sagnol, who took over Georgia at a low ebb in early 2021 when they had failed to qualify for the previous Euros and the Covid pandemic was raging.

"When we go back to our homes and holidays, I think we are going to realise at this time exactly what we have done. Today I don't have a lot of words ... I am so proud of the players. What an image of Georgia they have shown," he added.

Before home and holidays, however, is the small matter of Sunday's last-16 clash with Spain.

The three-times European champions have looked one of the best teams at the tournament and another giant-killing act for Georgia is probably a step too far.

Whatever the result, though, Sagnol and his men are heroes for Georgia's 3.7 million people, tens of thousands of whom have come to Germany in a noisy red-and-white army.

PARTY TIME

Qualification for the Euros in March had already sparked one of the biggest parties in Georgia's history.

But that was more than matched by the delirious scenes in the capital Tbilisi and elsewhere as Georgians celebrated the win over Portugal long into the early