Anastasios Douvikas headed a winner five minutes into stoppage time as Greece came from behind to beat Serbia 2-1 in Belgrade and open their UEFA Nations League A campaign with three points.
Andrija Živković had put Serbia ahead inside four minutes at the Rajko Mitić Stadium, finishing after a Dušan Tadić assist. Christos Tzolis equalised in the 74th minute from a Vangelis Pavlidis pass, before Kostas Tsimikas set up substitute Douvikas for the late header that sent the Greek bench wild and left Serbia empty-handed on Matchday 1.
Match facts
- Result: Serbia 1-2 Greece (half-time 1-0)
- Competition: UEFA Nations League A, Group 2, Matchday 1
- Venue: Rajko Mitić Stadium, Belgrade
- Scorers: Serbia - Živković 4'; Greece - Tzolis 74', Douvikas 90+5'
- Red cards: None
- Next: Serbia v Netherlands, Sunday 27 September; Germany v Greece
Greece climb Group 2
The result left Greece top of League A Group 2 after one round, ahead of Germany and the Netherlands on a point each, with Serbia bottom on zero. It was a stunning away win against hosts already without their two most established finishers up front.
Serbia staged the opener without Dušan Vlahović and Aleksandar Mitrović, as covered in BetAlert’s pre-match report. Coach Veljko Paunović started Luka Jović and Mihajlo Cvetković in attack, with Tadić restored to the national setup after stepping away following Euro 2024, but Greece’s second-half response proved decisive once Tzolis levelled.
Late chaos in Belgrade
Tzolis’s equaliser arrived after a sustained spell of Greek pressure and a flurry of substitutions on both sides. Douvikas, introduced from the bench in the second half, then rose to meet Tsimikas’s delivery deep into five minutes of added time. Serbia could not force another clear chance before Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg ended the contest.
Greece finished with 62% possession and nine shots on target to Serbia’s four. Independent live scores from Sofascore and ESPN both recorded full time as Serbia 1-2 Greece, matching the BBC Nations League scoreboard, with the same scorers listed for all three goals.
What happens next
Group 2 continues on Sunday 27 September 2026: Serbia host the Netherlands in Belgrade, and Germany face Greece. Paunović’s side must respond quickly at home after a late collapse; Greece travel to face Jürgen Klopp’s Germany aiming to stay top after a dramatic night in the Serbian capital.