The Erovnuli Liga is the top division of professional football in Georgia. Since 1990, it has been organized by the Professional Football League of Georgia and Georgian Football Federation. From 1927 to 1989, the competition was held as a regional tournament within the Soviet Union. From 2017 Georgia switched to Spring-Autumn system, with only 10 clubs in the top flight.
The 2017 Erovnuli Liga (formerly known as Umaglesi Liga) is the 29th season of top-tier football in Georgia. Samtrediaare the defending champions. The season began on 4 March 2017.
Zugdidi and Tskhinvali were directly relegated at the end of the previous season; Sioni Bolnisi and Guria Lanchkhuti were also relegated after losing play-off ties. Because the league contracted from 14 to 10 teams for this season, there was no promotion from the 2016 Pirveli Liga.
Each team will play the other nine teams home-and-away twice, for a total of 36 games each.
Relegated: Shukura
Relegation play-off: Dinamo Batumi and Kolkheti 1913
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Torpedo Kutaisi win Georgian title thanks to 96th-minute penalty miss
A last-minute penalty. Score it and your team win the league. Miss, and your opponents are crowned champions instead.
Rarely does the long football season come down to one moment of such nerve-racking intensity. But that's exactly how Torpedo Kutaisi took the Georgian title on Sunday.
They were beating Dinamo Tbilisi 1-0 when, with seconds to play, the home side were awarded a penalty. A draw for Dinamo would be enough to win the Erovnuli Liga for a 17th time.
In the 96th minute, as Dinamo captain Otar Kiteishvili stepped up to take it, some Torpedo players could barely look.
But Kiteishvili smashed it into the legs of goalkeeper Roin Kvaskhvadze, who raced up the pitch with his fists in the air as the referee immediately blew for final whistle.
In the centre circle, players and staff mobbed their hero, while Dinamo players fell to the floor.
One Torpedo player, Merab Gigauri, ran across the running track behind the goal to celebrate with the travelling fans.
Torpedo, based in Georgia's second largest city Kutaisi - located about 250km west of capital Tbilisi - had wrapped up their fourth league title in the most dramatic of circumstances.
But after 36 league games - the Georgian season began in March this year - there is still one big match to play.
Relegation play-off
5–5 on aggregate. Sioni Bolnisi won 4–2 on penalties
Kolhketi Poti won 4–3 on aggregate.
Source: http://erovnuliliga.ge
http://www.bbc.com
