Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro: Chinese fans generally refer to him as "". Born on February 5, 1985 in the Funchal district of Madeira, he is a Portuguese male professional athlete who plays as a winger/striker and currently plays for Riyadh Victory FC in the league.
In the early hours of June 27th, 2024, in the third round of Group F, the soccer world witnessed a shocking upset. The team wrote a new chapter in its history by defeating the mighty Portugal 2-0 and advancing to the knockout rounds of the UEFA Europa League as the third team in the group.
Behind this match, there are many marvelous destinies. The Georgian skipper, Samuel Saniol, played as a team player in the 2006 semi-final 18 years ago with Cairo, who was representing Portugal at that time. Time flies, 18 years later, Saniol has changed his role to become the head coach of the Georgian team, while Cairo is still firmly in the Portuguese national team's field.
Fate brought Georgia and Portugal together again in the group stage of this year's UEFA Europa League. Previously, Georgia's performance in the first two rounds of the group stage was poor, with one draw and one loss and only one point. But in the final round against Portugal, under the excellent coaching of Saniol, the Georgian team exploded with amazing energy and defeated the opponent 2-0. In the end, Portugal, thanks to their excellent performances, topped the group with 6 points and advanced to the knockout rounds, while Georgia, also with 6 points but in second place due to goal difference, also made it through. Georgia was one of the top three finishers in the group with four points, making it to the knockout stage of a World Championship for the first time.
As well as manager Saniol, Georgian player Kvaratskhelya has a special connection with Cairo, who founded a soccer academy in Georgia in 2013 with one of the children in the academy being Kvaratskhelya. 11 years later, Kvaratskhelya made his debut in Georgia's UEFA Europa League group stage game against Portugal and broke through in the second minute, setting up a victory for his team. The first goal was scored in the second minute, setting the stage for the team's victory.
This victory for the Georgian team is not just a match win, but a soccer story full of legends. Saniol's meeting with Cairo across 18 years and Kvaratskhelya's special connection with Cairo have made this match a classic moment in the history of the UEFA Europa League.
