The Portuguese under-21 soccer team opens today the ninth participation in the final stages of the European category, to face in the opening of Group A, in Tbilisi, the debutant Georgia, co-organizer of the event along with Romania.
Finalists in 1994, 2015, and 2021, Rui Jorge’s team takes the field at 20:00 local time (17:00 in Lisbon), at the Boris Paichadze Stadium, in a match refereed by Norway’s Espen Eskas, which will take place at the same time as the game between the Netherlands, winners in 2006 and 2007, and Belgium, the other group opponents.
Portugal has the 23 players called operational to face Georgia, the only debutant in the 24th edition of the continental tournament, who lost to the current runners-up (1-4) in September 2022, in a private match played in Covilhã.
This match summarizes the history of meetings between the two teams at this level and was the first of five ‘tests’ completed by the ‘Quinas’ team for the final phase, which they reached after finishing Group 4 of qualification in first place with 28 points.
The first two winners of each of the four ‘poules’ will enter the next phase of the 24th edition of the European ‘Esperance’ championship, which has 16 participants for the second time in a row and is being held starting today between three cities in Georgia and two in Romania, with the decision scheduled for July 8, at the Adjarabet Arena in Batumi.
