Iashvili double sinks Faroese

First-half goals from David Siradze and Aleksandr Iashvili set Georgia on their way to victory over the ten-man Faroe Islands in UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying Group B.

Faroese first
Although Rógvi Jacobsen reduced the deficit for the visitors, Fródi Benjaminsen's dismissal gave Georgia the opportunity to push forward and Iashvili doubled his tally from the penalty spot late on. The result keeps Georgia in with an outside chance of qualification, but despite scoring their first goal of the campaign, the Faroese remain without a point to their name.

Breakthrough
Jógvan Martin Olsen's men had shown little sign of changing that statistic, as efforts from Georgi Shashiashvili and Georgi Demetradze tested their goal inside the first 15 minutes. The Faroese did make an impression on the opposition when Andrew Fløtum fired wide on 16 minutes and Mikkjal Thomassen forced a save from Georgi Lomaia soon after, but their hard work was undone on 25 minutes as Georgia took the lead. Siradze struck right-footed from 12 metres to beat Jákup Mikkelsen.

Jacobsen strike
The hosts increased their advantage on the stroke of half-time. Levan Kobiashvili found Iashvili inside the area, and he drove a low shot into the net. To their credit the Faroese responded, and after Súni Olsen twice troubled Lomaia, he set up Christian Jacobsen to break his country's goalscoring duck. Jákup Borg almost silenced the crowd two minutes later when he came close to an equaliser, yet a minute of madness from Benjaminsen all but ended their revival.

Iashvili penalty
The midfielder was booked for unsporting conduct on 64 minutes, and 60 seconds later was ordered off for a second yellow card. Despite their numerical superiority, though, Georgia were never allowed to settle and Christian Holst's close-range header had to be parried by Lomaia with four minutes remaining. However, Súni Olsen enabled Georgia to settle the match in stoppage time when he brought down Demetradze and Iashvili converted for Klaus Toppmöller's team.