Spain, after Thursday, now stands alone at the top of Group A in the European Championship qualifying series. The team was long engaged in a battle with Scotland for first place and managed to shake off the competitor on Thursday. Hungary secured an Euro Championship ticket with a late goal.
Spain and Scotland had already secured their participation in the Euro Championship in Germany, but the battle for first place was still undecided. In October, Spain regained the top spot by defeating the Scots 2-0, who had earlier beaten Spain by the same score. Spain's goal difference was significantly in its favor, meaning a victory over Cyprus would almost certainly secure them the top spot.
They accomplished this with flair. Thanks to goals from Lamine Yamal, Mikel Oyarzabal, and Joselu, Spain led 0-3 within half an hour. After the break, Spain eased up, allowing Kostas Pileas to score an honorary goal for Cyprus. Spain, with eighteen points from seven matches, will play against Georgia on Sunday.
The first place offers an important status, as UEFA will only consider the results of this qualification cycle for the seeding of the upcoming Euro Championship draw. As a group winner, there's a greater chance of becoming a group head in the Euro. Scotland, after their draw in Georgia, can almost forget about this position. The Scots performed excellently in this cycle and, until Thursday, had only lost to Spain, but they disappointingly underperformed in Tbilisi.
With Ajax player Georges Mikautadze in the starting lineup, it was once again Khvicha Kvaratskhelia who led Georgia. The Napoli star opened the scoring after fifteen minutes with a low shot and was also responsible for the 2-1 in the second half. The forward cut in from the left to his right foot and scored in the far corner. His goal was necessary because Scott McTominay had equalized the score shortly after halftime. However, Georgia let the victory slip away in the final phase. Lawrence Shankland secured a point for the Scots.
