Latest news with #KRCGenk
BBC News
11 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Birmingham forward Yokoyama signs for Genk
Birmingham City have announced Japanese forward Ayumu Yokoyama has left the Championship club to join Belgian top-flight side KRC 22-year-old leaves St Andrew's after one season having joined from J-League club Sagan Tosu in the summer of made 19 appearances for Blues and scored four last featured for the club at the start of the year, scoring in back-to-back games against Lincoln City in the FA Cup and Swindon Town in the Vertu Trophy before playing what would be his final match against Exeter in League One on 18 moves to Genk, who finished top of the Pro League last season but came third in the Champions play-offs to decide the overall title winners, for an undisclosed fee.
Associated Press
24-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
‘Konstantinos Karetsas. Remember the name'. Greece teen announces himself to the football world
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — 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. Late Sunday, he announced himself to the football world. 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's youngest goal scorer with a perfectly-timed lob over experienced goalkeeper Craig Gordon. 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's Hampden Park. Governing body UEFA reacted minutes later, posting a photograph of the player with his arms outstretched alongside the comment: 'Konstantinos Karetsas. Remember the name.' Greece's 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's shock European Championship title triumph in 2004. 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 – a decision he says left him with no regrets. 'I made the right choice,' Karetsas said after his first match at Karaiskakis stadium near Athens, occasionally struggling to find the correct words in Greek. 'If I had chosen Belgium, Greece would have always been in the back of my head.' An attacking midfielder for his hometown club KRC Genk, Karetsas has won praise in Belgium for his technical skills and creativity. In Glasgow, Scotland coach Steve Clarke praised his opponents, telling reporters: 'Greece had more energy and were a little bit sharper. So, the best team won on the night.' Greece coach Ivan Jovanovic made six changes to his team Sunday, prioritizing youth and injecting fresh energy into a squad that's been on a winning run and last October stunned England with a 2-1 win at Wembley. 'What we always strive for is for our players to show the Greek spirit on the field,' the Serb said. 'That means they have to be bold – to display courage and audacity. This victory is something we've been working toward for a long time.'
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Konstantinos Karetsas. Remember the name'. Greece teen announces himself to the football world
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — 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. Late Sunday, he announced himself to the football world. 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's youngest goal scorer with a perfectly-timed lob over experienced goalkeeper Craig Gordon. 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's Hampden Park. Governing body UEFA reacted minutes later, posting a photograph of the player with his arms outstretched alongside the comment: 'Konstantinos Karetsas. Remember the name.' Greece's 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's shock European Championship title triumph in 2004. 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 – a decision he says left him with no regrets. 'I made the right choice,' Karetsas said after his first match at Karaiskakis stadium near Athens, occasionally struggling to find the correct words in Greek. 'If I had chosen Belgium, Greece would have always been in the back of my head.' An attacking midfielder for his hometown club KRC Genk, Karetsas has won praise in Belgium for his technical skills and creativity. In Glasgow, Scotland coach Steve Clarke praised his opponents, telling reporters: 'Greece had more energy and were a little bit sharper. So, the best team won on the night.' Greece coach Ivan Jovanovic made six changes to his team Sunday, prioritizing youth and injecting fresh energy into a squad that's been on a winning run and last October stunned England with a 2-1 win at Wembley. 'What we always strive for is for our players to show the Greek spirit on the field,' the Serb said. 'That means they have to be bold – to display courage and audacity. This victory is something we've been working toward for a long time.' Greece and Scotland will meet again in October and November for World Cup qualifiers in a group that also includes Belarus and Denmark. ___ AP soccer:
