Willy Sagnol’s boys are heading home to 3.7 million people who will rightly -welcome them as heroes, writes The Guardian.

“They were hugely impressive again en route to a victory secured by goals from Rodri, Fabián Ruiz, Nico ­Williams and Dani Olmo, a lovely combination of quality, control and velocity confirming their status as favourites, but that makes it sound a little simpler than it was – if only because for the first time Spain conceded and Georgia did all they could to make a match of it.

Ultimately, though, Georgia were no match for a team led by Rodri and who have Lamine Yamal and Williams tearing defences apart. The question now is whether anyone else will be. Yet while Spain deserved to progress, and Lamine Yamal in particular might reflect that he could have had a goal or two to go with another outrageous performance for a kid of 16 or an adult of any age, the fourth felt a little harsh on debutants who are heading home to 3.7 million people who will rightly ­welcome them as heroes.

The lowest ranked team in the tournament, 74 in the world, 35 in Europe, Georgia’s exit is no surprise. What is a surprise is how much they will be missed, how far they came. Seven sheets were strung across the stand spelling out the word BELIEVE in big red, capital letters and for a while they really did. Giorgi Kochorashvili had already described this as “a beautiful, unbelievable film”, and that was before they scored the opener on 18 minutes. They did not truly fall until the 75th, and they did so seeking a way back into a game they refused to give up on”, - writes the author.