Georgia and Czechia fought to a 1-1 draw in a match that saw numerous interventions from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg, Germany.
Georgia took the lead in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time through a penalty converted by Georges Mikautadze. The penalty was awarded after a lengthy VAR check following an incident involving a shot by Georgia’s Guram Kashia. Kashia’s shot was saved by Czech keeper Jindrich Stanek, and the ball was cleared away. However, VAR intervened, stopped the game, and after a thorough review, decided that the ball had struck Robin Hranac’s hand before falling to Kashia, leading to the penalty.
Czechia nearly equalized in the 23rd minute when Adam Hlozek attempted to score from a long throw by Vladimir Coufal. However, the goal was disallowed due to a handball offense.
In the 59th minute, Czechia finally found the equalizer. Patrik Schick scored after the ball hit the post and fell to him on the rebound. He simply tapped it in to level the score.
The match was characterized by a series of VAR interventions, which significantly impacted the flow of the game. The referee’s reliance on technology added to the drama and tension of the encounter, leaving both teams with a share of the spoils.
