Last-chance miss denies Georgia its first win in draw with Czech Republic at Euro 2024

HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — Georgia earned its first ever point at a major tournament after drawing with the Czech Republic 1-1 at the European Championship on Saturday. It was nearly a win.

Midfielder Saba Lobjanidze fired his shot narrowly over the bar with the last kick of the game as Georgia's promising three-on-one counterattack came to nothing.

Lobjanidze — who plays for Atlanta United in the U.S. state of Georgia — seemed to be in tears after the final whistle and was comforted by coach Willy Sagnol.

“As I tried to tell him, the ones who never tried, they will never miss. And the best way to miss is to try,” Sagnol said.

“Some mixed feelings after the match in the locker room. For the first minutes I think the players were a bit disappointed because of this massive opportunity but I hope they will quickly get the fact that they got their first ever point in a major tournament.”

There was a big mismatch in experience, with the Czech team playing in its eighth consecutive European Championship and Georgia, which was once part of the Soviet Union, making its debut as an independent nation.

Earlier, video reviews were in the spotlight.

The Czechs dominated the opening stages and celebrated the opening goal in the 23rd minute when Adam Hlozek bundled the ball into the net at the far post off a long throw.

Replays, however, showed Hlozek’s shot bounced back off goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili and in off the Czech forward’s face and arm.

The situation was reversed when Georgia defender Guram Kashia shot straight at the goalkeeper just before halftime. Georgia fans rued the missed chance but celebrated when a video review found the ball came off Czech defender Robin Hranac’s arm a couple of seconds earlier.

Georgia, the only team making its debut at Euro 2024, then took the lead with a Georges Mikautadze penalty given for handball by Czech defender Robin Hranec.

The Czechs got back into the game when a header rebounded off the post and Patrik Schick scored with his chest for his sixth career goal at the European Championships, ranking him joint sixth on the all-time list.

Schick limped off soon after and applied ice to his calf, potentially a major concern for the Czech Republic given the Bayer Leverkusen striker’s importance to the team and his long record of previous injuries. “It's no good,” Schick told Czech public TV about the injury.

VAR didn’t intervene later when the Czechs appealed for players being pushed by Georgia defenders in the penalty area, perhaps because the contact on both occasions was relatively slight.

The draw means both teams have one point and almost certainly require a win in their last group games to qualify for the knockout stages. Turkey and Portugal are the other teams in Group F. They play later Saturday.

For now, though, Georgia is celebrating a milestone in its soccer history, even as the country is divided politically at home.

“I think the whole country will celebrate that," Sagnol said, "in a very special Georgian way.”

AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024

Czech Republic's Ladislav Krejci , left, fights for the ball with Georgia's Georges Mikautadze during a Group F match between Georgia and the Czech Republic at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, June 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Czech Republic's Patrik Schick, center, leaves the pitch after getting injured during a Group F match between Georgia and the Czech Republic at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, June 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Czech Republic's Patrik Schick scores his side's opening goal during a Group F match between Georgia and the Czech Republic at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, June 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

Georgia's Guram Kashia, left, and Czech Republic's Mojmir Chytil challenge for the ball during a Group F match between Georgia and the Czech Republic at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, June 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Georgia's Saba Lobjanidze reacts after a missed chance to score during a Group F match between Georgia and the Czech Republic at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, June 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Georgia's Saba Lobjanidze, front, fails to score at the end of a Group F match between Georgia and the Czech Republic at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, June 22, 2024. (Sina Schuldt/dpa via AP)

Georgia's Giorgi Kvilitaia reacts after a missed chance to score during a Group F match between Georgia and the Czech Republic at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, June 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Czech Republic's Patrik Schick, left, celebrates with Czech Republic's Lukas Provod after scoring his side first goal during a Group F match between Georgia and the Czech Republic at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, June 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Georgia players celebrate after Georges Mikautadze scored the opening goal from the penalty spot during a Group F match between Georgia and the Czech Republic at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, June 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

ATLANTA (AP) — A raspy and sometimes halting President Joe Biden tried repeatedly to confront Donald Trump in their first debate ahead of the November election, as his Republican rival countered Biden's criticism by leaning into falsehoods about the economy, illegal immigration and his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.

Biden’s uneven performance, particularly early in the debate, crystallized the concerns of many Americans that, at 81, he is too old to serve as president. It sparked a fresh round of calls for the Democrat to consider stepping aside as the party's nominee as members of his party fear a return of Trump to the White House.

Biden repeatedly tore into Trump in an apparent effort to provoke him, bringing up everything from the former president's recent felony conviction to his alleged insult of World War I veterans to his weight. The 78-year-old Trump declined to clearly state he would accept the results of the November election, four years after he promoted conspiracy theories about his loss that culminated in the Jan. 6 insurrection, and repeatedly misstated the record from his time in office.

But Biden's delivery from the beginning of the debate drew the most attention afterward. Trump's allies immediately declared victory while prominent Democrats publicly questioned whether Biden could move forward.

"I think the panic had set in,” said David Axelrod, a longtime advisor to former President Barack Obama on CNN, immediately after the debate about Biden's performance. “And I think you’re going to hear discussions that, I don’t know will lead to anything, but there are going to be discussions about whether he should continue.”

Said Van Jones, another Democratic strategist, on CNN: “He did not do well at all.”

Rosemarie DeAngelis, a Democrat who watched the debate at a party in South Portland, Maine, said she felt Biden gave the right answers to Trump but “didn’t have the spark that we needed tonight.”

“That’s going to be the challenge going forward. This is only June, this is the first, but can he sustain?” she said. "That is going to be the challenge.”

Vice President Kamala Harris, speaking on CNN afterward, sought to defend the president's performance while acknowledging the criticism.

“There was a slow start, but there was a strong finish,” she said.

Asked about his performance in the debate, Biden told reporters early Friday that “I think we did well,” but said he has a “sore throat.” Pressed about Democratic concerns with his showing that he should consider stepping aside, Biden said, "No, it's hard to debate a liar.”

Biden began the night with a hoarse voice as he tried to defend his economic record and criticize Trump. A person familiar with the matter said Biden was suffering from a cold during the debate, adding that he tested negative for COVID-19.

Biden appeared to lose his train of thought while giving one answer, drifting from an answer on tax policy to health policy, at one point using the word “COVID,” and then saying, “excuse me, with, dealing with,” and he trailed off again.

“Look, we finally beat Medicare,” Biden said, as his time ran out on his answer.

He also fumbled on abortion rights, one of the most important issues for Democrats in this year’s election. He was unable to explain Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. A conservative Supreme Court with three justices nominated by Trump overturned Roe two years ago.

When asked if he supports some restrictions on abortion, Biden said he “supports Roe v. Wade, which had three trimesters. The first time is between a woman and a doctor. Second time is between a doctor and an extreme situation. A third time is between the doctor, I mean, between the women and the state.”

He added that he thought doctors, not politicians, should make decisions about “women’s health.”

Biden began to give clearer answers as the debate progressed, still with a rasp, and attacked Trump’s record on issues like fighting climate change.

“The only existential threat to humanity is climate change, and he didn’t do a damn thing about it,” he said.

The current president and his predecessor hadn’t spoken since their last debate weeks before the 2020 presidential election. Trump skipped Biden’s inauguration after leading an unprecedented and unsuccessful effort to overturn his loss that culminated in the Capitol riot by his supporters.

Trump equivocated on whether he would accept the results of the November election, saying he would accept them if the vote was “fair” and “legal,” repeating his baseless claims of widespread fraud and misconduct in his 2020 loss to Biden that he still denies.

Pressed on his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump was unapologetic.

“On Jan. 6, we were respected all over the world, all over the world we were respected. And then he comes in and we’re now laughed at,” Trump said.

After he was prompted by a moderator to answer whether he violated his oath of office that day by rallying his supporters seeking to block the certification of Biden's Electoral College victory and not acting for hours to call them off as they raided the Capitol, Trump sought to blame then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Biden said Trump encouraged the supporters to go to the Capitol and sat in the White House without taking action as they fought with police officers.

“He didn’t do a damn thing and these people should be in jail,” Biden said. “They should be the ones that are being held accountable. And he wants to let them all out. And now he says that if he loses again, such a whiner that he is, that this could be a ‘bloodbath’?”

Trump then defended the people convicted and imprisoned for their role in the insurrection, saying to Biden, “What they’ve done to some people that are so innocent, you ought to be ashamed of yourself.”

Trump and Biden entered the night facing stiff headwinds, including a public weary of the tumult of partisan politics and broadly dissatisfied with both, according to polling. But the debate was highlighting how they have sharply different visions on virtually every core issue — abortion, the economy and foreign policy — and deep hostility toward each other.

Their personal animus quickly came to the surface. Biden got personal in evoking his son, Beau, who served in Iraq before dying of brain cancer. The president criticized Trump for reportedly calling Americans killed in battle “suckers and losers.” Biden told Trump, “My son was not a loser, was not a sucker. You’re the sucker. You’re the loser.”

Trump said he never said that — a line attributed to Trump by his former chief of staff — and slammed Biden for the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, calling it “the most embarrassing day in the history of our country’s life.”

Trump himself agreed to the withdrawal with the Taliban a year before he left office.

Biden directly mentioned Trump’s conviction in the New York hush money trial, saying, “You have the morals of an alley cat," and referencing the allegations in the case that Trump had sex with a porn actress.

“I did not have sex with a porn star," replied Trump, who chose not to testify at his trial.

Pressed to defend rising inflation since he took office, Biden pinned it on the situation he inherited from Trump amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden said that when Trump left office, “things were in chaos.” Trump disagreed, declaring that during his term in the White House, “Everything was rocking good.”

By the time Trump left office, America was still grappling with the pandemic and during his final hours in office, the death toll eclipsed 400,000. The virus continued to ravage the country and the death toll hit 1 million over a year later.

Trump was asked what he would do to make childcare more affordable. He used his answer to instead boast about how many people he fired during his term, including former FBI Director James Comey and criticized Biden for not firing people from his administration.

Prior to the debate, about 6 in 10 U.S. adults (59%) said they were “very concerned” that Biden is too old to be president, according to Gallup data collected in June. Only 18% had the same level of concern about Trump. The poll found Biden’s age was also causing alarm among some Democrats: 31% said they were very concerned.

Trump allies entered the post-debate spin room triumphant. Trump senior adviser Chris LaCivita called it “the most lopsided win in debate history” and mocked the Biden campaign for saying the president had a cold.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a high-profile Democratic supporter of Biden, was pressed on whether he would consider stepping in for Biden. He dismissed the questions, saying, “I will never turn my back on him.”

He said he knows Biden and what he’s capable of and said, “I have no trepidation.”

Biden spent nearly a week at the Camp David presidential retreat preparing for the debate. Shortly before the debate, Biden started selling cans of water labeled, “Dark Brandon’s Secret Sauce,” on his campaign website, mocking the suggestions from Trump and his advisors that he would use drugs to enhance his performance.

Addressing supporters briefly at a watch party near the debate venue, Biden didn’t address his performance directly, but said, “let’s keep going,” and indicated he has no plans to leave the race.

“See you at the next one,” he said.

Miller, Price and Weissert reported from Washington.

Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, speaks to reporters in the spin room after a presidential debate between President Joe Biden and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump in Atlanta, Thursday, June 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

A patron watches President Joe Biden debate Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump during a debate watch party Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

President Joe Biden, right, and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, left, stand during break in a presidential debate hosted by CNN, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Roger Strassburg, of Scottsdale, Ariz., wears a cowboy hat as he watches the presidential debate between President Joe Biden and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a debate watch party Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

President Joe Biden visits a Waffle House in Marietta, Ga., Friday, June 28, 2024, following a presidential debate in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden, center, and first lady Jill Biden, right, pay for a purchase as they greet supporters at a Waffle House in Marietta, Ga., Friday, June 28, 2024, following a presidential debate in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden, right, walks off stage as Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump stands at the conclusion of a presidential debate hosted by CNN, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Photographers take photos of President Joe Biden, right, and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, left, during a break in a presidential debate hosted by CNN, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, left, and President Joe Biden, right, speak simultaneously during a presidential debate hosted by CNN, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump walks off stage during the break of a presidential debate with President Joe Biden, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

President Joe Biden walks off stage during the break of a presidential debate with Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump hosted by CNN, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a presidential debate with President Joe Biden, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

President Joe Biden speaks during a presidential debate with Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

This combination of photos shows Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, left, and President Joe Biden during a presidential debate hosted by CNN, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a presidential debate hosted by CNN with President Joe Biden, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

President Joe Biden, speaks during a presidential debate hosted by CNN with Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a presidential debate hosted by CNN with President Joe Biden, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

This combination of photos shows Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, left, and President Joe Biden during a presidential debate hosted by CNN, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

President Joe Biden, right, and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, left, during a presidential debate hosted by CNN, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. On the far right is CNN moderator Dana Bash. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

President Joe Biden, right, and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, left, during a presidential debate hosted by CNN, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump gestures during a presidential debate with President Joe Biden, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

President Joe Biden gestures during a presidential debate with Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

President Joe Biden, right, listens as Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a presidential debate hosted by CNN, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

President Joe Biden, right, and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump stand during a presidential debate hosted by CNN, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during an interview in the spin room before a presidential debate between President Joe Biden and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump in Atlanta, Thursday, June 27, 2024. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Corey Lewandowski speaks with reporters in the spin room before a presidential debate between President Joe Biden and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, hosted by CNN in Atlanta, Thursday, June 27, 2024.(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., speaks with reporters in the spin room before a presidential debate between President Joe Biden and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, hosted by CNN in Atlanta, Thursday, June 27, 2024.(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, from fourth left, and current Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, greet President Joe Biden as Biden arrives at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Marietta, Ga., en route to Atlanta to attend the presidential debate. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp speaks in the spin room before a presidential debate between President Joe Biden and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump in Atlanta, Thursday, June 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Nathan Ellgren)

Stacey Abrams, former State House of Representatives Minority Leader, former State House of Representatives Minority Leader, center, greets President Joe Biden, right, as he arrives at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Marietta, Ga., en route to Atlanta to attend the presidential debate. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

First lady Jill Biden poses for photos with campaign volunteers and supporters at the Virginia Beach Democratic Coordinated Campaign Office on Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Virginia Beach, Va. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

President Joe Biden, second right, greets supporters, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta, Ga., before a presidential debate. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden, second right, greets supporters, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta, Ga., before a presidential debate. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden takes a photo with a child as he greets supporters, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta, Ga., before a presidential debate. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden, left, greets supporters, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta, Ga., before a presidential debate. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

FILE - This combination of photos taken in Columbia, S.C. shows former President Donald Trump, left, on Feb. 24, 2024, and President Joe Biden on Jan. 27, 2024. (AP Photo)