Karetsas shows he can thrive under pressure as Greece beat Germany
Greece secured a historic first win over Germany after beating the heavyweights 1-0 in their UEFA Nations League clash on Sunday.
Dimitris Kourbelis struck the only goal of the game as the Hellic nation walked away with a memorable result in Augsburg.
Die Mannschaft dominated the statistics with a lion's share of possession at 76% and unleashed a barrage of shots at the Greek goal, but they could never really get out of the second gear as Jurgen Klopp was made to wait for his first win as the new Germany manager.
As for Greece, the win makes it two in two for them in the Nations League, having come from behind to beat Serbia last week as the young talents continued to shine with their formidable attacking skillset and dynamism. Among them was Borussia Dortmund's Konstantinos Karetsas.
Karetsas takes the game to Germany
Yes, I mentioned earlier that Germany were dominant in the match, and the numbers don't lie. But whatever little attacking spark that Greece could muster on the night, had Karetsas at the heart of it. At least most of the time.
As the home side enjoyed a spell of early possession, it was Karetsas who mustered Greece's first shot of the match. Receiving a pass on the right, the 18-year-old cut inside and drove away from his markers before unleashing a fearsome shot that drifted narrowly wide. It was quite reminiscent of his goal against Arsenal in the pre-season, but this one was struck with too much power (and rather hurriedly).
Although the teen didn't attempt another effort in the remaining 83 minutes, he remained a menace to Germany with his sublime technical quality and positional awareness. He laid three crosses and set up Andreas Tetteh with a lovely through ball in the first half which drew a foul from Yann Bisseck, leading to a free-kick for Greece.
In the face of Germany's lengthy spells of controlled possession, Karetsas became a reliable outlet who relieved the visitors of pressure with his domineering runs and fearless take-ons that consistently gave their midfield and defense something to worry about. The BVB starlet's dribbling quality was on full display too, completing four out of seven to ignite Greece's attacking charge from time to time.
Karetsas sends Burkardt to school with cheeky backheel
The highlight of his game, which has the internet losing its collective conscience over, is that audacious nutmeg on Germany's Jonathan Burkardt.
In the 79th minute, Burkardt sought to engage Karetsas on the left as the Greek teen came into possession. But noticing the Eintracht Frankfurt racing towards him, Karetsas turned a bit and cheekily slipped the ball right through his legs for a sensational backheel.
Although Die Mannschaft soon recovered the ball and impeded Greece's movement, that fleeting moment of individual quality encapsulated the player's technical brilliance, and has already found its way into almost every highlight reel from the match.
A goal or two in the game - against a decorated side at that - would have been the icing on the cake after such a bright performance. But Karetsas showed Borussia Dortmund that he can thrive under pressure, a quality that seriously belies his age.
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