Nine-man Greece stun Turkey

Andreas Bouchalakis's 89th-minute goal completed a remarkable comeback victory for Greece who played for 65 minutes with nine men against Turkey.

If the situation was not tough enough for the hosts after Kostas Triantafyllopoulos was dismissed on ten minutes for conceding a penalty which Emrah Başsan converted, Stelios Kitsiou then saw red on 25 minutes. However, Nikos Karelis lobbed in an equaliser on 61 minutes before substitute Bouchalakis sealed the turnaround to help Greece move second in UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying Group 7.

Things looked like they would be straightforward for Abdullah Ercan's men when Triantafyllopoulos felled Musa Çağıran in the area early on and Emrah did the rest. There seemed no way back for Greece when Kitsiou received his marching orders but the visitors could not stretch their lead despite the numerical advantage.

Karelis levelled matters just after the hour as he latched onto a loose ball in the box before scooping over keeper Aykut Özer. Yusuf Erdoğan almost won it for Turkey but his late strike zipped just wide – allowing Bouchalakis to secure an unlikely victory for Greece as his low drive a minute from time found the net.

"Sometimes words are not enough," said home coach Kostas Tsanas after the final whistle. "The boys did whatever was humanely possible against the odds. Their faith in victory was astonishing. The fans and players, together, managed to overturn an impossible situation. I've never experienced anything like this."