Athens, Sep 8 (IANS): Greece lost to Romania 0-1 in their opening 2016 UEFA European Cup qualifier held at Karaiskaki stadium here.
Romanian striker Ciprian Marica scored the match's sole goal in the 10th minute, handing the victory to his team Sunday night, reports Xinhua.
Romania is considered one of the strongest squads in Group F which also comprises Greece, Hungary, Finland, Northern Ireland and the Faroe Islands.
Sunday's game was the first match for Italian Claudio Ranieri as coach of the Greek team.
Ranieri signed a deal in July to manage the Greeks over the next two years, taking over from Portuguese Fernando Santos who led Greece to the Round of 16 in the World Cup in Brazil this summer in an unprecedented success for Greek football.