Thursday night’s 0-1 loss to Spain means Greek hopes of qualifying for next year’s world cup are over. While the Spaniards topped the Group B log, the result keeps Greece in third place and can do nothing about it whatever the result of the final Group B game it is to play against Kosovo on Sunday.
In a night of World Cup qualifier action on Thursday night, Greece lost 0-1 to Spain in their Group B qualifying match at the Athens Olympic Stadium. Hopes were high when Giorgos Masouras beat the Spanish goalkeeper in the 21st minute to put the ball in the net – only for the linesman to rule it offside.
Spain’s Pablo Sabaria scored the lone goal of the match from the penalty spot just five minutes later, after Inigo Martinez was judged to have been tripped in the box following a corner.
The Greeks had their hands full with Spanish dominating possession and pressing high into the Greek half for most of the game.
READ MORE: Greece saves the day with two late goals against Georgia at World Cup qualifiers
The results leave Greece in third place on the group standings with nine points and a two-point cushion on Georgia which played its last game in the group last night – a surprise 2-0 victory over the high-flying Sweden.
The final game Greece plays Kosovo on Sunday and the result cannot alter Greece’s position in the Group C – win or lose.
In Group H, Cyprus was hammered 6-0 by Russia in St Petersburg. While the result has left Cyprus anchored at the bottom of the group, the Russians top their group on 22 points and face second-place Croatia for bragging rights on Monday.
Spain regained top spot in Group B on 16 points, with the hapless Swedes just one point behind. They face each other in Spain on Sunday evening to decide who will go to the world cup and who will keep trying in the play-offs for the remaining places to play in Qatar.
Greece plays Kosovo (at 6.45am Australia time on Monday) and win or lose will maintain third spot in the group.
