Greece U-19 defeated Kazakhstan 4:2 in Thessaloniki in the highest-scoring match of the round
The Greece national football team under 19 defeated Kazakhstan 4:2 in the third round of the first round of UEFA's competition for the under-19 age group. The match was played on 9 June 2026 at Toumba Stadium in Thessaloniki, and it was marked by the high finishing efficiency of the Greek team and Kazakhstan's late attempt at a comeback.
The Greece U-19 national team recorded an important victory against Kazakhstan in a match that stood out for its number of goals and the rhythm of changes in the score. According to official UEFA data, Greece won 4:2 in the third-round match of the first round, in Group A6 of League A, thereby concluding its appearance in this phase of qualification for the European Under-19 Championship. The match was played at Toumba Stadium in Thessaloniki, which is an important addition to the initially available information in which the venue had not been stated. For the Greek team, the scorers were Avramoulis, Berdos twice and Toursounidis, while Bekbolat and Smakov scored the goals for Kazakhstan. The match ended without red cards, and UEFA's official statistics show that Kazakhstan had more total attempts, while Greece drew a significantly greater effect from a smaller number of finishes.
Greece gained a four-goal advantage
According to UEFA's match record, Greece gained the advantage in the closing stage of the first half and at the beginning of the second half. Avramoulis put the Greek national team in front in the 32nd minute, and Berdos increased the lead in the 41st minute before the break. Such a development of the match gave Greece control over the score ahead of the second half, especially because it reached the first goal after a period in which Kazakhstan, according to the final statistics, often looked for a shot toward the opposing goal. Greece then entered the second half extremely efficiently: Toursounidis scored in the 50th minute, and Berdos, with his second goal in the 52nd minute, made it 4:0. Those two quick goals after the break practically directed the match, because Kazakhstan was left with a lot of work to do in the remaining part of the contest.
Kazakhstan nevertheless did not fall apart after the heavy deficit, but reduced the gap in the closing stage and softened the defeat in terms of the score. Bekbolat scored in the 77th minute, and Smakov set the final 4:2 in the 84th minute. Those goals did not change the winner, but they gave a more realistic picture of Kazakhstan's attacking activity, as the team, according to UEFA's figures, finished the match with 21 total attempts. Greece, according to the same source, had 10 attempts, which clearly shows that the final result was not only a consequence of the quantity of attacks, but above all of efficiency at key moments. In youth football, such an outcome often comes particularly to the fore, because teams can create a large number of situations, but the difference in the result is frequently made by composure in the final phase.
The statistics reveal a different picture from the result itself
UEFA's official statistics add an additional layer to the match, because they show that Kazakhstan was not a harmless opponent despite losing by two goals. The Kazakh team had 21 total attempts toward goal, while Greece had 10, which indicates that the defeated side found a way to enter the final phase of attacks. Still, the 4:2 result confirms that Greece was considerably more precise and more efficient, especially in the period from the 32nd to the 52nd minute, when it scored all four goals. According to UEFA, the corner-kick ratio was 2:1 for Kazakhstan, while both teams were offside twice each. The disciplinary part of the match was also relatively calm: Kazakhstan received two yellow cards, Greece none, and there were no red cards.
Such a ratio of statistical indicators suggests that Greece won the match above all through the quality of its final decisions and by converting the moments in which the result was being decided. Kazakhstan, on the other hand, drew only two goals from a high number of attempts, both in the closing stage, when the Greek advantage was already large. In journalistic terms, that makes the match interesting because it was not a one-sided result in which one team completely shut down the other, but a match in which efficiency overpowered the quantity of attempts. Greece used the period of its greatest dominance on the scoreboard, and Kazakhstan showed a reaction with late goals, but not enough time or precision for a complete comeback. With a total of six goals, the match stood out as an exceptionally efficient youth duel in the first-round programme.
Group A6 and the new meaning of the first round
The match between Kazakhstan and Greece was part of Group A6 in League A of the first round of the new qualification system for UEFA's European Under-19 Championship. UEFA stated in its final announcement for the first round that, from the 2026/27 edition, qualification is played through three rounds, with the first round determining league survival, promotions and relegations ahead of the second round. According to UEFA, from Group A6 in League A, Portugal, Greece and Kazakhstan remain in the second round, while Serbia was relegated to League B. This means that the Greek victory also had a broader competitive context, because a position among the national teams continuing in the higher tier of the qualification system was confirmed. Although the match itself did not directly bring qualification for the final tournament, it carried weight in the competition structure that determines how national teams will be distributed in the next phases.
UEFA announced that the first round, which concluded on 9 June 2026, is the first step on the road toward the final tournament in Czechia in the summer of 2027. According to the same explanation, the second round is scheduled for the autumn, and the third for the following spring, when the seven national teams that will join the host of the final tournament will be decided. This format further increases the importance of results in the early phases, because the outcome of the first round does not serve only as a short-term table, but affects the position of national teams in the continuation of the qualification cycle. For Greece, the victory against Kazakhstan was therefore important both psychologically and in terms of the result, especially after the team had to seek stability in the group against different profiles of opponents. For Kazakhstan, despite the defeat, remaining in League A also has value because the team continues the competition in a stronger qualification environment.
Toumba as the host setting of the group
UEFA's official match data list Toumba Stadium in Thessaloniki as the venue of the Kazakhstan – Greece duel. The Thessaloniki stadium was the host setting of the match in which Greece, as the host national team of the group according to UEFA's final announcement, used the advantage of familiar surroundings. Still, in youth national-team competitions, home ground often has a different weight than in senior club football, because teams gather in short cycles and players come from different club environments. Precisely for that reason, the 4:2 result should be viewed above all through finishing, concentration in key minutes and Greece's ability to turn pressure into goals in a short period. Kazakhstan, according to the number of attempts, had an offensive response, but did not manage to reduce the deficit early enough for the match to enter a more uncertain finish.
UEFA listed Romain Lissorgue of France as the main referee of the match, while the assistant referees were Steven Torregrossa of France and Namik Huseynov of Azerbaijan. The fourth official was Kamal Umudlu of Azerbaijan. These official data are important for a complete match record, especially in younger age-group competitions in which reports are often reduced only to the result and the scorers. Since the match passed without red cards and with a total of two yellow cards, according to UEFA's statistics there is no indication that the disciplinary segment significantly changed the course of the match. The result is therefore above all the consequence of Greece's attacking efficiency and Kazakhstan's late reaction, not of extraordinary circumstances such as a sending-off or an interruption.
Berdos marked the match, Kazakhstan received late confirmation of character
Two-goal scorer Berdos was the most prominent name of the Greek victory because, with goals in the 41st and 52nd minutes, he connected the closing stage of the first half and the beginning of the second part. His second goal came only two minutes after Toursounidis's goal, which gave Greece an unreachable four-goal advantage and opened space for calmer management of the rest of the match. Avramoulis's goal from the 32nd minute was the starting point of the Greek surge, while Toursounidis in the 50th minute further accelerated the collapse of Kazakhstan's balance on the scoreboard. In matches of younger age groups, such a run of goals in a short time often changes not only the result but also the emotional tone of the match, because the team that is behind must attack more than it had planned. Greece played that part of the match most concretely, and that is why the result ultimately remained on its side.
Kazakhstan avoided a more convincing defeat with late goals by Bekbolat and Smakov and showed that it had not given up its attacking game even at 0:4. The first Kazakh goal came in the 77th minute, and the second seven minutes later, which gave the finish a more competitive tone and confirmed that Greece had not completely closed the match after taking a big lead. Still, the time frame of those goals was too narrow for a complete turnaround, especially because Greece already had sufficiently large score capital. For Kazakhstan, such an end to the match will probably be important in the analysis, because it shows the difference between creating chances and converting them earlier. For Greece, meanwhile, the key message will be that in a match with fewer total attempts, it managed to score four goals and thereby secure victory in a contest that developed into one of the most efficient encounters of this phase.
A result that fits the developmental character of the competition
The European Under-19 Championship has a developmental role, but the competitive significance of the early qualifying rounds is not negligible. UEFA's new format further emphasizes continuity of results because national teams move through League A and League B toward the second and third rounds, and only the final qualifying round determines the travellers to the final tournament. In such a system, matches like this are not only the statistical record of one generation, but part of a broader process of ranking, testing and selecting players at the international level. Greece, with the victory against Kazakhstan, showed attacking efficiency and the ability to use short periods of advantage, while Kazakhstan, despite the defeat, received confirmation that it can create a large number of final-phase situations against a strong opponent. This is especially important in the under-19 category, where results are viewed simultaneously through competitive effect and the developmental potential of the players.
In the final picture of the match, the result remains 4:2 for Greece, six goals and a clear division of impressions. Greece was more concrete, punished mistakes more quickly and in the key minutes built an advantage that it did not let slip. Kazakhstan was active and statistically present in attack, but reached its goals too late to threaten the opponent's victory. According to UEFA's information, both national teams remain in League A for the second round of qualification, which gives Kazakhstan's defeat a less dramatic competitive ending than it would have had in a knockout system. Greece will enter the continuation of the cycle with a victory that can serve as a stable foundation, while Kazakhstan will take from this duel both a warning about finishing and confirmation that it can come back into a match even when the deficit is large.
Sources:
- UEFA – official match statistics for Kazakhstan U-19 – Greece U-19, including the result, scorers and basic indicators of play (link)
- UEFA – official information about the match, Toumba Stadium in Thessaloniki and the refereeing team (link)
- UEFA – final announcement on the first qualifying round for the 2026/27 UEFA European Under-19 Championship and the status of Group A6 (link)
- UEFA – official draw page and explanation of the league schedule in the first round of the 2026/27 competition (link)