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Within minutes of his Greece debut last week, 17-year-old Konstantinos Karetsas made an impact with successive shots against Scotland in a Nations League playoff.\u00a0Late Sunday, he announced himself to the soccer world.<\/p>\n
Starring among a crop of young Greeks who swept past Scotland 3-0, Karetsas delivered his moment of magic in the 42nd minute to become his country\u2019s youngest goal scorer with a perfectly-timed lob over experienced goalkeeper Craig Gordon.<\/p>\n
In an ecstatic celebration, the teenager kissed the badge on his jersey and ran past the perimeter board up to the celebrating Greek fans at Glasgow\u2019s Hampden Park.<\/p>\n
Governing body UEFA reacted minutes later, posting a photograph of the player with his arms outstretched alongside the comment: \u201cKonstantinos Karetsas. Remember the name.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greece\u2019s 3-1 aggregate win sealed promotion to the top flight of the UEFA competition, and has generated a wave of excitement among fans rarely seen since the country\u2019s shock European Championship title triumph in 2004.<\/p>\n
Born in Belgium to parents from a coal-mining family in northern Greece, Karetsas recently chose to represent the lower-ranked nation over his country of birth \u2013 a decision he says left him with no regrets.<\/p>\n
\u201cI made the right choice,\u201d Karetsas said after his first match at Karaiskakis stadium near Athens, occasionally struggling to find the correct words in Greek. \u201cIf I had chosen Belgium, Greece would have always been in the back of my head.\u201d<\/p>\n
An attacking midfielder for his hometown club KRC Genk, Karetsas has won praise in Belgium for his technical skills and creativity.<\/p>\n
In Glasgow, Scotland coach Steve Clarke praised his opponents, telling reporters: \u201cGreece had more energy and were a little bit sharper. So, the best team won on the night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greece coach Ivan Jovanovic made six changes to his team Sunday, prioritizing youth and injecting fresh energy into a squad that\u2019s been on a winning run and last October stunned England with a 2-1 win at Wembley.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we always strive for is for our players to show the Greek spirit on the field,\u201d the Serb said. \u201cThat means they have to be bold \u2013 to display courage and audacity. This victory is something we\u2019ve been working toward for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greece and Scotland will meet again in October and November for World Cup qualifiers in a group that also includes Belarus and Denmark. [AP]<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n