On March 26, 2024, Georgia hosted Greece in Tbilisi in the biggest match in the nation’s 34-year history: if they won, they’d reach a major tournament for the first time ever. Georgia battled through plenty of adversity, falling to 10 men before halftime and losing Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratshkelia in extra time due to injury, but after a goalless 120 minutes, they would take the momentum as Giorgi Kochorashvili converted the opener. Anastasios Bakasetas would take the following spot-kick and attempt to strike it into the bottom right corner, but he was thwarted by the mighty hand of Giorgi Mamardashvilli. They would go on to win 4-2 and confirm their presence in the Euros, with countless Georgian supporters racing onto the pitch and embracing their players and their fellow fans.
By Zach Lowy
Georgia kicked off their tournament with a match vs. Türkiye, falling behind within 25 minutes only to equalise immediately after via Georges Mikautadze, but Arda Güler would restore the advantage with a rocket of a finish in the 65th minute whilst Kerem Aktürkoğlu sealed the deal in extra time in a 3-1 victory. The following match would see Mikautadze open the scoring from the penalty spot on the cusp of halftime, only for Patrik Schick to level proceedings within the hour-mark. Czechia continued to push for a winning goal, but they were nullified by an impeccable Mamardashvilli in goal, who registered 11 saves, 13 recoveries, 5 high claims and 3 punches. Despite facing 4.00 expected goals on target, Georgia managed to survive with a point and gave themselves a fighting chance of reaching the Round of 16 thanks to the Valencia goalkeeper, whose 8.9 rating saw him finish as FotMob’s top-rated player from Matchday 2. At 23 years of age, Mamardashvilli has established himself as one of the top up-and-coming goalkeepers on the continent, and with a contract until 2027, he could be primed for a big-money transfer this summer.
Humble Beginnings in Georgia
The son of David Mamardashvilli, a former goalkeeper and goalkeeping coach at FC Gagra, Giorgi has shown that the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. After kicking off his development at Gagra, Mamardashvilli made the move to domestic heavyweights Dinamo Tbilisi in 2012. He would never make a single appearance for the first team, spending the 2019 season on loan at fellow Georgian top-flight side Rustavi and helping them avoid relegation, before heading to Locomotive Tbilisi on loan. It was here at Mikheil Meskhi Stadium where Mamardashvilli made a name for himself, excelling between the sticks and being voted as the Best Goalkeeper in the Erovnuli Liga for 2020.
It wasn’t long before Mamardashvilli began attracting attention from teams in Western Europe, with Valencia signing him on a one-year loan deal for a fee of €50,000 with an €800,000 buyout clause in 2021. Initially assigned to Valencia’s reserve side in the fifth tier, Mamardashvilli was included in the team’s pre-season squad and managed to impress new manager José Bordalás, so much so that when Jasper Cillessen and Jaume Domènech went down with injuries, the Georgian was entrusted to start the opening match of the 2021/22 season. In just a few weeks, he had gone from Valencia’s fourth-choice to their first-choice.
Making a Name For Himself at Mestalla
Los Che would fall to 10 men within three minutes, but they nevertheless pulled off a 1-0 win vs. Getafe thanks to an impressive display between Mamardashvilli, who was named LaLiga’s Best Goalkeeper of Matchday 1. Mamardashvilli would start in Valencia’s next five league matches before dropping out for Cillessen, spending over four months on the sidelines before being thrust back into the XI after the Dutchman suffered another injury. This time, he didn’t relinquish the opportunity, racking up six clean sheets, conceding 13 goals in 12 matches and going 570 minutes without conceding a single goal.
After making history as the first-ever Georgian goalkeeper in LaLiga, Mamardashvilli took his game to a new level in 2022/23, playing in every single minute of the league campaign and being named their Player of the Season, having placed second behind Gonçalo Guedes the previous year. Valencia managed to narrowly stave off relegation on the final day of the campaign, but the following season, they managed to return to the top-half of the table and secure a comfortable ninth-place finish.
Mamardashvilli proved vital once again, with his 13 clean sheets bettered only by Álex Remiro (15), Marc-André ter Stegen (15) and Unai Simón (16), registering 108 saves and boasting a save percentage of 72.5%. He faced six penalties in 2023/24, saving three of them, and in January, he broke José Manuel Ochotorena’s record as the goalkeeper with the most consecutive LaLiga starts for Valencia (61). With 9.3 Goals Prevented, no goalkeeper kept out more would-be goals in LaLiga than the Georgian (second-placed Paulo Gazzaniga had 6.6).
Individual Heroics in Hamburg
At 6’6”, Mamardashvilli’s towering presence and wingspan allow him to impose himself in aerial duels and stretch out to get a hand to a soaring effort, but unlike other tall goalkeepers, his height doesn’t prevent him from getting to ground and making a last-ditch intervention. This was evident in the third minute of their match vs. Czechia, with Vladimír Coufal’s long throw-in finding Adam Hložek, who controlled it onto his chest before firing a low, central shot. Mamardashvilli was forced to get down immediately and make a strong save with his feed, whilst his quick reactions were tested three seconds later as Patrik Schick’s ascendant left-footed strike was tipped over by the Georgian. He barely had a chance to catch his breath before being called into action once again, dealing with a header and clearing it out of the danger area. Georgia continued to be put under pressure from set-pieces and looked to have taken the lead after Hložek bundled in the opener, only for VAR to adjudge that the ball had come off his arm. Instead, it was Mikautadze who broke the deadlock from 12 yards out and gave Georgia their first-ever lead at a major tournament.
The Czechs did not take long to fight back and nearly ended the half with an equalizer after some lackadaisical defending from the Jvarosnebi gifted Schick with a golden opportunity, but Mamardahsvilli nevertheless flung himself down and was able to punch it out for a corner kick. Schick would equalize after the break for the Czechs, who grew in confidence and continued to mount wave after wave of pressure against a Georgia side whose inexperience and naivety bore negative consequences. The Crusaders continued to surrender possession in perilous positions and cough up counter-attacking opportunities, with substitute Matěj Jurásek making a break towards goal before launching a low, well-driven rocket towards goal. Once again, Mamardashvilli read the danger and was forced into an unorthodox, one-handed save that not only kept out the shot, but redirected it out of the danger area and into the wide areas, where Georgia’s Luka Lochoshvili could then boot it up the pitch.
Time and time again, Mamardashvilli continued to bail his team out of trouble and remain poised and alert to the threat, picking his starting positions well, setting his body with time in advance, and taking advantage of his lightning-quick reactions to keep out a goal. Even when his backline let him down with schoolboy errors, he was always able to react and get a strong palm to the shot, diverting it into safety. A speedy goalkeeper, he’s more than capable of shifting his momentum towards the other side and diving at the right moment in order to deflect the ball away from goal. He has the aerial prowess to assert himself in set-piece situations, fight through traffic, and fend off crosses, and his physical fortitude makes him a daunting opponent for any striker.
Even when his vision is blocked and he doesn’t have the time to see it all the way, Mamardashvilli is adept at improvising and making an instant reaction, with his reflexes, athleticism and composure enabling him to make a split decision at a moment’s notice. Despite racking up 27 shots in comparison to Georgia’s 5, Czechia were unable to find a second goal in Hamburg and came up short against Georgia’s brick wall in goal. They nearly conceded a last-second winner, only for Saba Lobzhanidze to blaze over and cost Georgia a valuable two points.
Can Georgia Pull off a Shock Win vs. Portugal?
As a result of their stalemate in Hamburg, Georgia enter the final matchday in last place, level on one point with Czechia, two behind Türkiye and five behind Portugal. If they are to escape Group F and prolong their maiden Euros voyage, they’ll need to pull off a win against Portugal at the Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday.
They’ll be counting on Mikautadze to find the back of the net for the third straight match, with the Georgian striker finishing as the top scorer in the 2022/23 Ligue 2 season with Metz, earning a move to Ajax in the final days of the summer transfer window, and returning to Metz in January, where he would finish as their top scorer with 13 goals in 20 appearances. Whilst Mikautadze (23) has emerged as one of Ligue 1’s most promising strikers, Khvicha Kvaratshkelia (23) has cemented himself as one of the most exciting wingers in Europe and led Napoli to their first Scudetto in three decades.
Both players will be indispensable for Georgia as they look to pull off a historic upset at the Veltins-Arena, but perhaps no player will be more important than Giorgi Mamardashvilli. He has put his skills to the test in the Spanish top-flight and the European Championship, and at 23 years of age, he is well on his way to following in the footsteps of Jan Oblak and Petr Čech and becoming Eastern Europe’s next top goalkeeper.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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