And that’s all! Thank you very much for watching this friendly match with all the highlights and excitement here on VAVEL. But we’re not stopping here, because the FIFA Date has ended for both teams today, but it continues in full swing throughout the week!
Georgia took the lead at the end of the first half with a goal from Lobjanidze. And in the second half, after a long period of pressure, Ryan Mendes equalized with a penalty kick, thus closing the FIFA date for Georgia and Cape Verde!
Giuliashvili received the pass up front, took the ball to the middle and hit it hard, but sent the ball wide to the left of the goal! And Cape Verde made another change in the match, with Ryan Mendes and Pina replaced by Cabral and Garcia. Soon after, for taking too long to take the goal kick, he received a yellow card.
Georgia made three changes between the penalty being awarded and the kick, with Gocholeishvili, Lobjanidze and Lochoshvili coming off, and Giorbelidze, Beridze and Shengelia coming on, trying to get back into the game.
Ryan Mendes received the pass in front of him, already in the area, and hit a powerful shot, which was deflected by the defense, at Dvali, with the penalty being awarded for touching the defender’s arm! Ryan Mendes hit a powerful, low shot into the right corner, with no chance for the goalkeeper to save it!
Cape Verde made another change in the match, with Jamiro Monteiro replaced by Heriberto Tavares. After the changes, the game was in a period of fluctuation in quality, with little happening on the field.
Dvali, for a strong foul in the midfield, stopping Cape Verde’s counterattack, received a yellow card. Georgia managed to maintain possession in the final minutes, but without finishing or posing any danger to the defense.
De Graça, in a loose ball already inside the area, after a corner kick taken in the area for the defense to clear, which was kicked from afar on the rebound, got the ball on the right and hit hard, but Gugeshashvili palmed the ball over the goal, for the corner kick cleared away by the defense! And Cape Verde changed: Rodrigues, Duarte and Paulo came off for Jojó, Jovane Cabral and Ailson Tavares.
Georgia makes two changes at the moment, with Kvilitalia and Gvekesiani coming off for Volkov and Iva Gelashvili. Georgia starts to try to press and makes two changes to keep the intensity in the game.
And the first arrival of the second half is from Cape Verde, who come back pressing in the attacking field! On the right the visitors win a free kick, taken in the area by Monteiro for Diney to appear alone in the area, but kick the ball over the goal!
The players return to the pitch and the ball is already rolling for the second half of the match between Georgia and Cape Verde, with all the action and emotions in real time here on VAVEL, in this clash that will close the FIFA Date for both teams!
Cape Verde managed to put pressure on playing away from home, keeping possession, trying (and succeeding!) to pose a threat to the opposing defense, but with a goal from Lobjanidze, we can see Georgia winning the friendly on this FIFA Date!
On the left, after a corner kick was taken into the area for the defense to clear, Gagnidze received the pass and crossed to Lobjanidze, who rose and headed the ball powerfully into the left corner, sending the ball into the back of the net, opening the scoring in this last play of the game!
Lochoshvili received the pass on the left, took off and crossed to the near post for Gagnidze, who deflected the ball with his heel, sending the ball into Vozinha’s hands. On the counterattack, Rodrigues received the pass in front and hit it hard, but it went wide of the net, and with the offside flag. Shortly after this shot, Rodrigues received a yellow card for complaining.
On the left, Ryan Mendes received the pass and tried to cross, winning the corner, a short pass for Monteiro to cross and the defense cleared it away. Cape Verde dominates the match and continues to put pressure on Georgia.
Pina received the pass up front, on the right, took off and crossed to win the corner. Monteiro hit the ball short for Pina to cross and the defense cleared it away once again. Cape Verde once again maintained possession in the attacking half.
Ryan Mendes received the pass on the left and crossed low to Livramento, who shot low into the left corner, but Gugeshashvili palmed the ball away! Cape Verde continued to have possession until they won the corner on the right, which was taken into the area for the defense to clear.
Guliashvili, on the right, was escaping on the counterattack, running towards the attacking half, but had his shirt pulled by Ryan Mendes, who received a yellow card for the foul, the first yellow of the game.
Both teams had already managed to create dangerous chances in the match, but now they saw the game lose its rhythm on the pitch, where Georgia (finally) managed to maintain possession for a few minutes, trying to control the game.
On the right, in a good passing move, Gocholeishvili received the pass and crossed for Kvilitaia to head, but it went wide. Then Gocholeishvili stole the ball in the middle of the field, took it to the middle and hit it hard, but to the left of the goal!
Cape Verde started the game with possession, exchanging passes and managing to put pressure on Georgia, even playing away from home. On the other side, Georgia managed to close up in defense to avoid conceding shots.
On the right, Cape Verde had a corner kick, taken into the area for Livramento to deflect, sending the ball into the hands of Gurgeshashvili, who kept the ball in the middle of the goal, without giving a rebound. Soon after, Rodrigues received the pass in front and tried to shoot over the goalkeeper, but Gurgeshashvili saved it once again!
The players take to the pitch and the ball rolls for the first half of the match between Georgia and Cape Verde, with all the action and excitement in real time here on VAVEL, closing the FIFA Date for both teams today!
Today will be the first game in history between the two teams, who have never faced each other, either in official FIFA tournament games or in friendly matches, as will be today’s clash at Georgia’s home ground.
Cape Verde will also play in the next FIFA Date, which will be in September. On the first, the team will visit Mauritius and on the eighth, it will host Cameroon, with both games also taking place in the World Cup Qualifiers.
The next FIFA date for Georgia will be in September. On the fourth, at home, the match will be against Turkey. On the seventh, again at home, the match will be against Bulgaria, with both games in the World Cup Qualifiers.
The Georgia bench will have the following names for Willy Sagnol to use in today’s friendly, going with: Kereselidze, Gelashvili, Altunashvili, Giorbelidze, Nonikashvili, Kvekveskiri, Shengelia, Beridze, Gagua and Volkov.
Georgia is also lined up in a 4-3-1-2 formation, taking to the field with the following starting 11: Gugeshashvili, Gocholeishvili, Gvelesiani, Dvali and Lochoshvili; Mamuchashvili, Gagnidze and Mekvabishvili; Lobjanidze; Kvilitaia and Guliashvili.
We now start the broadcast of the match between Georgia and Cape Verde, in yet another International Friendly on the Sunday of games of this FIFA Date, with all the moves and emotions in real time here on VAVEL at the Ramaz Shengelias Sakhelobis Stadium!
Do not miss a detail of the match with the live updates and commentaries of VAVEL. Follow along with us all the details, commentaries, analysis and lineups for this Georgia vs Cape Verde match.
Finally, today’s match is at the Ramaz Shengelias Sakhelobis Stadium, located in Kutaisi, Georgia. The stadium is home to Torpedo Kutaisi, with a capacity of over 14,000 people. Opened in 1957 – and undergoing renovations in 1998 and 2010, the stadium also hosts occasional matches for the Georgian national team, as it will today.
For today’s match Georgia has ‘problems’, where it left out, by choice, players such as Mamardashvili, Chakvetadze, Mikautadze and Kvaratskhelia, going to the field with: Loria; Gocholeishvili, Gvelesiani, Dvali and Lochoshvili; Gagnidze, Mamuchashvili; Beridze, Guliashvili and Lobjanidze; Volkovi.
The World Cup qualifiers in Europe haven’t started yet, so the groups don’t have any points yet. Georgia, with its dream of going to the World Cup, is in a tough group, with Bulgaria, Spain and Turkey, all candidates trying to get a place in the world’s biggest competition.
In Group D of the qualifiers, Cape Verde leads with 13 points, one above Cameroon, five above Libya, six above Angola, nine above Mauritius and 11 above Eswatini, trying to secure a place in the World Cup.
Cape Verde comes into today’s match with two wins and a draw in their last games. On March 25, they won 2-1 away against Angola in the World Cup qualifiers, with two goals from Livramento, while Gélson Dala scored. On Thursday (29), they tied 1-1 away against Malaysia. And on Tuesday (3), once again away from home, they won 3-0 against Malaysia.
