Women, girls lose heavily
The women’s national soccer team, built from a nascent local circuit where the game is widely regarded as a man’s sport, suffered a heavy 5-0 home defeat against Italy yesterday in qualifying action for next year’s World Cup finals. Also yesterday, the junior women’s team, playing in the second phase of Euro qualifying group action in Austria, lost 5-0, against Sweden. Following the match, the Greek team’s coach, Dimitris Batsilas, said Sweden was the toughest side his players had ever faced. «They’re one of the best teams in the world. We’re aiming for a decent performance against Austria. After all, qualifying for the second round of qualifying competition ranks as a big achievement for us,» said Batsilas. «The experience gained from these games will significantly help us in our efforts to establish a sturdy team,» he added.
