Meet the European Minnows Shocking the Rest of the Continent

Kazakhstan and Armenia Defying Odds in European Football Qualifications.

The European football season has officially concluded, and there have been plenty of talking points, despite the continent's elite leagues finishing well over a fortnight ago. The curtain on the campaign was brought down by two final rounds of qualifiers for next summer's European Championships. The tournament will take place in Germany and gets underway in June of next year, and there are several minnows staking their place for a maiden invite to European international football’s premier competition. 

While minnows are thriving, the usual suspects are also performing as expected. Both France and England have a perfect record of four wins from four, and the latter has been particularly impressive. They avenged their heartbreaking Euro 2020 final loss to Italy in perfect fashion on game week one by picking up a 2-1 victory in Naples. Since then, they have defeated both Ukraine and Malta, before a Bukayo Saka hat-trick helped the Three Lions on their way to a thumping 7-0 win over North Macedonia at Old Trafford. 

There are other teams with perfect records as well. 2016 winners Portugal clung on to their perfect start courtesy of a late winner from Cristiano Ronaldo in Iceland. Scotland are also three from three, and they were particularly awe-inspiring when they defeated three-time champions Spain in game week two courtesy of a double from Scott McTominay. 

Two improbable sides are creating a stir across the continent as the European football qualifications heat up; both are on the verge of making it to the European championships for the first time ever. For fans and supporters of these nations, the excitement of watching their underdog squad succeed cannot be overstated. This is not dissimilar to placing an outside bet at Joe Fortune online casino and seeing it pay off. After all, both scenarios offer a level of anticipation and unpredictability that keep fans and punters alike on the edge of their seats.

Kazakhstan 

For years, Kazakhstan have been a laughing stock when it comes to European qualifiers. Due to the country’s distance from most of Europe, they were always one of the teams to avoid due to logistical and travel reasons. However, in 2023, they are a team to avoid purely due to sporting reasons. 

So far throughout their opening four qualifiers, they have picked up three victories, and they currently sit in second place in Group H, only behind leaders Finland on goal difference. Their campaign got off to a disappointing start, throwing away a one-goal lead at home to Slovenia in Astana to ultimately lose 2-1. But since then, they have put that defeat firmly in their rearview mirror. 

In their second game of the qualification process, they faced off against heavyweights Denmark. The Danes reached the semifinals of the most recent European Championships in 2021, eventually falling to defeat at the hands of England in extra time. And they were expected to plow their way through the Kazakhs, despite being away from home. 

And it looked like exactly that would transpire when they raced into a 2-0 lead in Astana. However, a stunning fightback saw the hosts score three goals in the final 15 minutes to secure a famous victory. An expected 3-0 victory away at San Marino would follow, before stunning 2016 qualifiers Northern Ireland with a 1-0 victory in Belfast thanks to Abat Aymbetov’s last-minute winner. 

As things stand, a first-ever major tournament in the country’s history is on the cards. Their previous record points total is ten, and they already have nine in this qualification campaign, so whatever happens between now and the autumn, the campaign can be considered a raging success. But will they be able to rubber stamp it by punching their tickets to Germany next summer? 

Armenia 

Another team that is currently riding the crest of a wave is Armenia. For many a year, all the Country of Stones was known for being the birthplace of current Inter Milan star Henrikh Mkhitaryan. However, they now have a team that is making their nation proud, and they're doing without the aforementioned former Borussia Dortmund star, who retired from international duty last year. 

The Armenians are currently second in Group D, and they can consider themselves unlucky to not be performing better. They lost their opening game of the campaign against arch-rivals Turkiye, despite taking an early lead. Orkun Kökçü’s equaliser and Muhammed Kerem Aktürkoğlu’s second-half winner meant that the visitors escaped Yerevan with three points, despite being dominated for extended periods. 

But despite that disappointment, Armenia have bounced back in style. They stunned 2016 semifinalists Wales with a 4-2 victory in Cardiff, with doubles from MLS Player of the Year Lucas Zelarayán and Borussia Mönchengladbach’s teenage sensation Grant-Leon Ranos. They followed that up with a 2-1 victory over Latvia on home turf thanks to Tigran Barseghyan’s last-minute penalty. 

The result is that Armenia is right in the qualification hunt. They still must head to Turkiye and are yet to face Croatia, who are without a doubt the best team in the group. However, they have nothing to fear, and they will be aiming to reach a major tournament for the first time in their history, just like the Kazakhs.