Harsh lessons for youthful Greece

A last-minute penalty conceded against Italy, their star player sent off against Czech Republic, and finally a second-half capitulation against England. If last summer the script had a fairy-tale quality, this UEFA European Under-19 Championship was less kind to Greece.

Promising start
Twelve months ago the Greeks had finished second behind Spain in Austria. Here in Bohemia, despite coach Alexis Alexiou boasting only two survivors from that squad in winger Sotiris Ninis and midfielder Ioannis Papadopoulos, another strong campaign looked likely when Greece took a 23rd-minute lead against Italy through Michail Pavlis. It was an advantage they might have doubled on the break in the second half in Mlada Boleslav on 14 July, only for an 89th-minute spot-kick to be awarded against the otherwise immaculate Kyriakos Papadopoulos.

Red card
Had the decision gone the other way, Alexiou's team could even have been through after they then held the host nation in Liberec three days later. Ninis and Pavlis, between them, wasted a glorious early opening before the former was dismissed for sarcastically applauding the referee after being booked in the 62nd minute. The resulting stalemate left Greece second in Group B, level on two points with Italy and two behind the Czechs going into Sunday's decider against England in Liberec.

Cruel finish
Without the suspended Ninis, a reshaped side was further unsettled within five minutes as Nikolaos Boutzikos limped off injured. Chances were missed by both teams, until the English eventually took theirs in the second half of an end-to-end match. Three-nil and fourth place was a harsh sentence given the semi-finals had been a possibility with 45 minutes left of the campaign. Alexiou preferred to be lenient when reviewing his players' efforts, however: "I would like to say exactly what I said to my players in the dressing room – that I was happy with their display, both against England and in the other two games. They should be proud of having been in the last eight in Europe."

Grounds for success
That was no mean feat given Greece had the youngest squad at the finals, including 16-year-old Kyriakos Papadopoulos who defied his age at the heart of the defence. "This group should now be ready to take the next step," Alexiou said. "We have a strong nucleus of players who we can use in tournaments to come. However, I don't think our comparative youth was a factor in our elimination, because these are all good players who have worked really hard for me. They put in a strong effort and simply by being here, they have achieved something."