Greeks progress on home soil

Eastern Attica AMA qualified for the intermediary round of the UEFA Regions' Cup after winning the eastern preliminary round competition on home soil in Greece.

Opening success
After winning 2-0 against Russian side Southern Federal District AMA on the opening day of the tournament, Eastern Attica looked set for a comfortable passage, with Moldova's Chisinau AMA beating Belarus's Belkard AMA 3-2 in the other opening day fixture.

Topsy-turvy results
However, things became complicated as speedy Belkard forward Pavel Razumovich scored twice in a 3-2 win against the hosts on the second matchday, while Southern Federal District made up for their first-day defeat with two late penalties earning them a 2-1 win against Chisinau.

Last-day drama
That left all four teams level on three points on the eve of the final game, but it was the Greek side that made the best finish, winning 4-1 against Chisinau. However, a 2-1 win against Belkard was enough to see Southern Federal District progress as the best side from the two preliminary round tournaments.

Makrodimitris impressed
Eastern Attica coach Dimitrios Makrodimitris was impressed by the standard of play at the tournament, calling it "much higher than amateur level". His side will now take on Bulgaria's South-East Region AMA, Romania's Oltenia AMA and San Marino AMA in intermediary round Group 7.

Best runners-up
Having beaten Finland's District of Uusimaa AMA to the title of best runners-up, Oleg Rysniy's Southern Federal District will have the chance to win a place in next summer's eight-team final tournament as they join Bosnia-Herzegovina's Tuzla Canton AMA, Hungary's Drava AMA and Croatia's Varazdin AMA in Group 3.

Footballing celebration
All four sides will leave the beautiful Eastern Attica region happy, however, having enjoyed a splendid week of competition. The standard of refereeing was high and the accommodation and facilities delighted all of the visiting teams. The tournament may be a celebration of amateur football, but the standards remain entirely professional.