On Thursday 21 March 2024, Luxembourg travelled to Tbilisi in Georgia to play the men's national football team in the play-off semi-finals
Played at the Boris Paichadze National Stadium in front of 51,404 spectators, Luxembourg City's Place Guillaume II was packed with football supporters cheering on the Red Lions in the most important game in the country's history.
Georgia started the game comfortably and pinned Luxembourg into their own half, with Budu Zivzivadze hitting the woodwork for the home team after 15 minutes. The same player put the ball in the back of the next just six minutes later, but was ruled to have fouled the goalkeeper. And a couple of minutes later he received the game's first yellow card, to be followed shortly afterwards by Luxembourg's Michael Pinto.
Luxembourg had little possession and territory and had to wait for counterattacking opportunities. Five minutes before the half-time whistle, the home team went ahead thanks to danger-man Zivzivadze who tucked the ball home following a corner.
Luxembourg did not register a shot on goal in the entire first half and were forced to come at the opposition in the second half. Just ten minutes in and Gerson Rodrigues picked up his side's second yellow card. Just four minutes later, Luxembourg were down to ten men when Maxime Chanot was red carded for a bad foul, confirmed after a VAR check.
The rain started to fall, quite heavily at times, but Luxembourg has a mountain to climb.
With just over a quarter of the match still to play, Zivzivadze made it 2-0 for the hosts after latching onto Shengelia's pinpoint cross and hitting the back of the net.
Luxembourg did not give up and tried to force their way up the pitch and threaten Georgia's goal, but it was not to be. Leandro Barreiro received a yellow card
In a double substitution, Alession Curci and Oliver Thill came on for Yvandro Borges Sanches and Mathias Olesen; with eight minutes remaining, Marvin Martins and Christopher Martins both received a yellow card.
With five minutes of added time announced, Luxembourg made another substitution, with Seid Korac and Edvin Muratovic replacing Enes Mahmutovic and Gerson Rodrigues.
Luxembourg: Anthony Moris (GK), Maxime Chanot; Enes Mahmutovic; Florian Bohnert; Michael Pinto; Laurent Jans (C); Leandro Barreiro; Christopher Martins; Mathias Olesen; Gerson Rodrigues; Yvandro Borges Sanches.
After the game, Luc Holtz, Luxembourg coach, stated: "The opponent was significantly better in the first half, especially in terms of tempo. We played too slowly and weren't fully prepared mentally. But having to play this match with ten men was extremely tough, and I can't blame my team for that."
In the other (relevant) game, Greece hammered Kazakhstan 5-0 in Athens, meaning that Kazakhstan will play Luxembourg in a friendly match at the Stade de Luxembourg next Tuesday 26 March in what is already a sell-out (if Luxembourg had won, they would have been playing the play-off final at the venue instead, with tickets going on sale (and selling out quickly) without knowing the opponent or importance of the match. Georgia faces Greece in the Path C final.
Wales beat Finland 4-1, Poland beat Estonia 5-1, Ukraine won 2-1 away to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland won 4-1 away to Israel (played in Budapest).
