Koutsias, Greece U17 catch the eye with strong qualifying performances

AGONAsport takes a closer look at the under 17 Greek national team, who produced fantastic performances in the first round of 2020 UEFA European Championship qualifying.

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Three games, three victories, 13 goals scored, two goals against. That’s what you call a successful qualifying campaign.

Hosting all Group 9 games in Nafpaktos, Greece U17 subsequently performed admirably in front of the home crowd, comfortably defeating Azerbaijan (5-1) and Kazakhstan (5-1) before earning a hugely impressive 2-0 victory against Germany. The young Greeks will now play in the Elite Round as they edge towards qualification for the tournament in Estonia.

Here is the full squad list which competed in Group 9:

Goalkeepers: Angelos Angelopoulos (AEK), Nikos Psimopoulos (Ergotelis).

Defenders: Vasilis Kitsakis (PAOK), Emmanouil Smpokos (OFI), Charalampos Katsogiannis (Olympiacos), Athanasios Karamanis (Atromitos), Ilias-Panagiotis Christopoulos (Asteras Tripolis), Konstantinos Koulierakis (PAOK).

Midfielders: Titos Koutentakis (PAOK), Emmanouil Tsiokris (AEK), Ioannis Karakoutis (PAOK), Fotios Kitsos (Olympiacos), Andreas-Richardos Ntoi (Olympiacos), Zisis Tsikos (PAOK), Christos Liatsos (Olympiacos), Giorgos Syrmis (Olympiacos).

Forwards: Thomas Kastanaras (VfB Stuttgart), Apostolos Christopoulos (AEK), Sofoklis Michopoulos (AEK), Giorgos Koutsias (PAOK).

TOP PERFORMERS

Giorgos Koutsias

Koutsias, 15, is rapidly gaining a reputation as one of Greece’s brightest prospects for the future. In three Group 9 games, Koutsias took a leading role with four goals, including a famous brace against Germany in the impressive 2-0 triumph. He is certainly the player to watch as we move into the Elite Round.

Born in Thessaloniki, Koutsias is on the books of hometown club PAOK, and he’s already managed to score one goal and and dish out one assist in nine games in the U19 Super League. Koutsias earned a chance with the under 19 team after registering 28 goals last season for PAOK U15.

Koutsias, blessed with excellent technical ability, is capable of creating opportunities and protecting possession effectively, almost always taking advantage of his chances in front of goal. The future is bright.

Christos Liatsos

Liatsos, like Koutsias, also tallied four goals in Group 9, hitting the target two times in both the matches against Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. Wearing the captain’s armband on his sleeve, the Olympiacos attacking midfielder provided crucial leadership on the pitch, and his potential was on show for all to see. The 16-year-old scored one goal for Olympiacos in the UEFA Youth League this autumn.

Apostolos Christopoulos

The AEK forward, 16 years of age, hit the target on two occasions during the first round of qualifying, etching his name on the scoresheet in the emphatic wins over the Azeris and the Kazakhs. In those two games, Christopoulos was only used as a substitute in the second half, but he proved his worth with a pair of goals. Christopoulos is currently playing his football with the under 17 AEK team.

ELITE ROUND UPCOMING 

Greece will now aim to progress from the Elite Round and make the final competition itself, which will take place in Estonia between May 21-June 6. The Greeks were placed into Group 1 alongside Ukraine, Turkey and Belarus, with the group winners automatically qualifying for the tournament while the seven best runners-ups of the eight groups will also be granted a berth at the competition:

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