Georgia ensured a 1-0 win over Group F leaders Croatia in Euro 2012 qualifying on Saturday evening. It was the first defeat for Croatia in the qualifiers, while Georgia remain unbeaten and have picked up nine points from five games.
Croatia controlled the first half at the Lokomotivi Stadium in Tbilisi and might have taken the lead through a Dejan Lovren header 26 minutes in. Sevilla midfielder Ivan Rakitic had a shot saved by Georgia goalkeeper Nukri Revishvili, who also denied Nikola Kalinic.Out-of-favour Tottenham man Niko Kranjcar went close early in the second half, before Kobiashvili had Georgia's first real chance of the match. Croatia continued to dominate, with Ivan Perisic the next man to threaten. But the breakthrough never arrived. Volga Nizhny Novgorod forward Otar Martsvaladze enjoyed a rare chance for the hosts but saw his shot saved by Croatia goalkeeper Vedran Runje. The match appeared destined for a draw before Martsvaladze played in Levan Kobiashvili in the 90th minute, and the Hertha Berlin midfielder smashed home a shot from just inside the area. Croatia fought back in stoppage time, Perisic with a shot that failed to test Revishvili, and Pranjic’s 93rd minute effort forcing a corner which the team failed to take advantage of.
On Friday, several Croatians were involved in a brawl which occurred on a plane flying from Kiev to Tbilisi, and two Croatian soccer fans were deported from Georgia after the plane landed in the Georgian capital, according to a report from the Croatian Foreign Ministry.
According to information from the Croatian embassy in Greece which covers Georgia, the incident involved a dozen Croatian fans travelling to Tbilisi to attend a Georgia-Croatia match and one Georgian citizen, the ministry spokesman said on Saturday. The brawl broke out after they got into a verbal scuffle.
Two Croatian citizens were deported from Tbilisi immediately after the plane landed as the captain reported the incident to the police. The deported men did not request consular assistance.
