The worst-case scenario from the big match against Germany unfolded for the Greece U21 National Team, which not only lost but also conceded a goal difference tie-breaker (0-2), dropping them to 2nd place.
With 3 matches remaining, it's unlikely any team will take points from the "Panzers," so Greece will need to capitalize on its remaining fixtures.
Specifically, our country will need to win all three remaining matches to finish as the best second-placed team across all groups and qualify directly for the final phase of the EURO U21 in 2027, to be held in Albania and Serbia.
Of course, the competition is tough, but with a perfect win record, it's not an distant goal.
Let's clarify that the 6 points against Malta will not be counted in the final tally, so currently, from the 18 points after 7 matches, in the battle for 2nd place, we start with 12 points, which places us 2nd in the category of the best second-placed teams in the groups.
From the first group, Finland has 16 points, but with the deduction of 6 points from the matches against San Marino, they drop to 10.
The same applies to the Czech Republic, which has 14 points and drops to 8 as matches against Gibraltar are deducted, as well as Switzerland, which has 14 and goes to 8 from the two matches against Estonia.
In Group 4, Slovakia has 16 points, so their starting point is 10 points, while in groups with 5 teams, Bosnia has 7 points after 6 games (the same as Israel in that group), Turkey has 11 points, and in the last group, we have a triple tie between Belgium, Austria, and Denmark with 10 points.
The only country currently ahead of Greece is Italy, which has played 8 games and accumulated 21 points, which, with the deduction of 6 from the matches against Armenia, comes to 15.
So the "Azzurri" seem to be our country's main... opponent at the moment, however, in October they face Poland in the top-of-the-table derby, and in case of a draw or defeat, they will fall behind Greece.
Should the Greece U21 National Team not qualify directly, they will have a second chance through the play-offs, as they have already built an eight-point lead over the 3rd placed team in their group.
So, to summarize, the 2nd placed teams at this moment with points deducted:
- Italy 15 points (from 21) with one more match played than Greece
- Greece 12 points (from 18)
- Turkey 11 points
- Austria 10 points
- Slovakia 10 points (from 16)
- Finland 10 points (from 16)
- Czech Republic 8 points (from 14)
- Switzerland 8 points (from 14)
- Bosnia 7 points