One of the heroes of Georgia's success was goalkeeper Zurab Tsintsadze, who made 12 saves in the crucial match against Hungary, and picked up several Player of the Match awards through the qualifiers.
"When Giorgi scored the goal to win the game everyone had one emotion – joy. For us, it was a great achievement that we reached the European championships for the first time in history. It was a dream come true for us and I couldn't be more proud with this team. I was full of emotions after the final whistle and still was in the shock from happiness," says the 27-year-old.
The KS Azoty-Puławy goalkeeper is looking forward to hearing Georgia's national anthem for the first time at a major tournament.
"I am honoured to play for my country's national team and I feel responsible and proud to have this opportunity. I am always emotional during the national anthem and I feel the joy,” says Tsintsadze.
“On the other hand you have to feel responsibility while playing for your country. Georgian handball deserved to qualify for the European championship. Our country has a great handball history and for us to play the European championship is a great responsibility to represent our country. This clearly shows our desire and hard work through all these years. We hope that our nation will be with us and we will show why we have to be here," he adds.
Zurab played a key role in helping Georgia to secure a ticket for EHF EURO 2024 as one of the best third-ranked teams and the former GRK Ohrid goalkeeper was crowned as man of the match in four of the six matches during the qualifiers. Additionally, he even scored a couple of goals and helped the team's attack, but he is modest about his overall contribution and says that it was a team effort.
"I can say that it is the merit of the whole team, but also my good game. If the team plays well, the goalkeeper does well. Individually, I was in good form, but without teamwork, individual achievement is nothing for me.
“It is a very good feeling when you score a goal and help your team, but for me I value the save more, because that's my main job," says Tsintsadze.