Siovas calls for concentration

Greece midfielder Dimitrios Siovas is confident his side can get the point they need to progress to the UEFA European Under-19 Championship semi-finals for the first time - if they play to their potential.

'Do our jobs'
Having taken four points from their first two Group A games thanks to a 1-0 win against Portugal and a 1-1 draw with hosts Austria, Nikolaos Nioplias' side go into their third and final fixture against holders Spain in Linz knowing a draw will guarantee second place in the section and a semi-final against the Group B winners on Tuesday. "If we play the way we can against Spain - if we do our jobs properly – we can definitely get the result we need to qualify for the semi-finals," Siovas said.

Penalty conceded
The Panionios NFC midfielder had more reason for dissatisfaction than most of his team-mates after the Austria match having conceded the penalty from which the hosts drew level midway through the second half, but philosophically took it all in his stride. "It was probably a fair result," he admitted. "They had more possession of the ball, especially in the second half, but we had chances to win the game and if we’d got a second goal when we were in front, that would have been it."

'One of the best'
Greece started the match in impressive fashion, taking a 15th-minute lead through Kostas Mitroglou, and Siovas believes confidence is high in the camp, adding: "We started very well against Austria and played excellently throughout the first half. We had some good chances but we also made some mistakes that could have been costly. Under pressure from Austria we didn't start the second half very well and they got a penalty and a draw, but I hope we can get a similar result in the next match and get to the semi-finals. We are one of the best U19 teams in Europe and that's why we deserve to qualify."