Romania has confirmed its top place at the IBSA Blind Football European Championships Division 2 in Bucharest, with Greece finishing second to qualify for the Division 1 European Championships in Italy.

There was drama until the very last minute in yesterday’s matches in the Romanian capital, as the hosts and Greece played out a 1-1 draw when a goal either way would have changed the whole look of the final standings.

Georgia did its homework in the morning match, defeating Belarus 2-0 thanks to a double from Margvelashvili, and set up an exciting final match with the championships and qualification still undecided.

Zacharos put the Greeks ahead and it appeared they might steal a win and the title, but Florin Kovacs was on hand yet again, this time to equalise for the hosts and secure a draw.

The draw was enough to confirm Romania as Division 2 champions for the second time running on seven points and secure second place (5 points) and a Rome 2019 qualification slot for Greece, who return to the top division after 4 years.

Georgia had to settle for third place on three points, while Belarus came fourth in their first official championships for ten years.

Caption: Romanian team group photo with representatives from the Romanian Paralympic Committee, the Romanian Association of the Blind and the Romanian Football Federation.

Top scorer was Romania’s Florin Kovacs on 5, followed by Greece No 10 Zachanos on 4 goals and Margvelashvili (Georgia) on 3.

The final match, played before a packed house, was attended by Romanian Football Federation President Răzvan Burleanu, Romanian Paralympic Committee Vice-President Ciprian Anton, Romanian Association of the Blind Vice-President Mihai Dima and Prince Radu of Romania.

The IBSA Blind Football European Championships Division 2 took place at the Romanian Football Federation training centre in Buftea, near Bucharest. The competition was hosted by the Romanian Paralympic Committee in partnership with the Romanian Football Federation and the Romanian Association of the Blind.

Click on the links above for full results and final standings.

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