Greece U19 loses Euro qualifier opener to Serbia in stoppage time

Greece's U19 national football team began their Euro 2027 qualifying campaign with a narrow 0-1 defeat against Serbia at the Toumba Stadium. The loss came in the opening match of League A, Group 6, leaving the young Hellenes to regroup for their subsequent fixtures.

The Greek squad came close to securing a valuable point, but Serbia found the breakthrough in the dying moments of the match. The decisive goal arrived in the fourth minute of added time, a late blow after a game that was largely decided by fine margins.

In the first half, Serbia appeared more active, controlling possession and creating more attacking opportunities, though they were unable to breach the Greek defense. Greece, meanwhile, adopted a more passive role, looking for chances on the counter-attack.

The second half saw a noticeable shift in the game's dynamics. Greece increased their intensity, gained ground, and began to create scoring chances. Christos Sidiropoulos was a key figure in their offensive efforts, threatening early in the half and again with a free-kick shortly before the end.

Just as the match seemed destined for a goalless draw, Serbia struck. After hitting the post in the 90+2nd minute, Milgurd Rhys capitalized on a defensive lapse to score from close range, sealing the victory for the visitors. In the group's other match, Portugal and Kazakhstan drew 1-1.

Greece's U19 team must now put the disappointment behind them and focus on earning points in their remaining group matches against Portugal and Kazakhstan, both also to be played at the Toumba Stadium.