Costas Manolas

Greece paid for two lapses of defensive concentration in the second half to go down 2-0 to Italy in Rome, after a decent performance that could have merited a better result in this Euro 2020 qualifier on Saturday.

Greece center back Costas Manolas has transferred from Roma to Napoli in a deal worth 36 million euros that should boost the southern club's Serie A title credentials.

Roma announced the transfer on Sunday.

The 28-year-old Manolas joins Kalidou Koulibaly in what could become one of the top center back pairings in the Italian league.

Greece suffered a humiliating 3-2 home defeat to Armenia, a team that had never before beaten the Euro 2004 champions, and will require a miracle to qualify to the finals of Euro 2020. What Greece needs this summer is a restart, probably with a new manager.

After feeling lucky to escape from Tallinn with a 1-0 win three days earlier, Greece will feel unlucky to suffer a 2-1 reverse to Hungary on Tuesday, again for the Nations League.

Greece was by far the better team at the Groupama Arena in Budapest, but its lack of firepower was evident and its sole goal came from a central defender.

Croatia snatched a goalless draw in Greece on Sunday and grabbed the all-important ticket to the World Cup finals of 2018 with a 4-1 aggregate score, due to Greece's miserable performance in the first leg in Zagreb on Thursday.

Greece manager Michael Skibbe is changing more than half of his starting line-up for the return leg of the World Cup play-off, according to the official line-ups.

TRACK & FIELD: Pole-vault sensation Katerina Stefanidi received the award of the best female athlete in track and field in Europe for 2017, having swept its opponents in the World Championship, the European Indoor Championship and all IAAF Golden League meetings she took part in this year. She is the first Greek athlete to secure such a distinction.

The Bosnian soccer federation has apologized to its Greek counterpart, EPO, about last Friday's post-match violence between members of both teams.

The Bosnian football federation has apologized to its Greek counterpart, EPO, about last Friday's post-match violence between members of both teams.

Greece coach Claudio Ranieri has been forced to make two more changes to his squad for Friday's Euro 2016 qualifer against the Faroe Islands due to injuries.