Greek comeback sinks Wales

Wales' bid to qualify for their first major European youth finals since 1981 ended in heartbreak today as a 2-1 defeat by Greece in Barreiro denied them a place in the UEFA European Under-17 finals.

Portugal pip duo
A draw would have been enough for Wales to win Group 4 after two wins in their opening two second qualifying round games. But after this loss they learned that Portugal had beaten Israel 3-0, meaning the holders finish top on head-to-head record having finished level on six points with both Wales and Greece.

Wales lead
Coming off a shock win against Portugal two days ago, Wales were confident, and their hopes of making May's final tournament in France increased when Tottenham Hotspur FC's Scott Thyer gave them a 24th-minute lead.

Comeback seals game
But six minutes before the break Kyle Critchell was ruled to have handled in the area and Olympiacos CFP's Michail Spiridon converted the penalty. Then with 16 minutes left in the game Nikolaos Bernidakis put Greece ahead with a strong shot  - and when time ran out news arrived that Portugal's victory had ended both these teams' qualification dreams.

Praise for squad
It was Welsh coach Ian Rush's first defeat in charge, but his assistant Mark Aizlewood still had praise for their squad, saying: "Ian and myself have a group of honest players who had given everything in the previous wins over Israel and Portugal."

'Greece deserved triumph'
He added: "You have to be honest and admit that Greece deserved their triumph. Our 'keeper Wayne Hennessy was quite superb - if it had not been for him we might have lost by four or five."