Live from Euro 2004
Greece defy all the odds to reach semi-finals
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| Members of the Greek team celebrate after scoring against France, 25 June 2004 during their European Nations Championship quarter-final football match between France and Greece at the Estadio Jose De Alvalade in Lisbon. |
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| Greece's forward Angelos Charisteas (R) heads the ball past French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez to score, 25 June 2004 during their European Nations Championship quarter-final football match between France and Greece at the Estadio Jose de Alvalade in Lisbon. AFP PHOTO Lluis GENE |
There are very few experts in the world of football that would have predicted Greece would reach the semi-finals at Euro 2004 but that is exactly the scenario after they produced one of the greatest upsets in tournament history.
If coach Otto Rehhagel was already a hero in Greece, he could now run for president and probably win after masterminding one of the most unprobable fairytales in recent memory.
A 65th-minute header by Werder Bremen striker Angelos Charisteas proved the difference and was enough to book a semi-final date against either the Czech Republic or Denmark next Thursday in Porto.
Jacques Santini's side had only themselves to blame after another listless display resulted in them joining England, Spain, Italy and Germany on the Euro 2004 scrapheap.
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| Greek coach Otto Rehhagel (L) celebrates with midfielder Vasileios Tsiartas (C) and goalkeeper Antonios Nikopolidis after beating France 1-0, 25 June 2004 during their European Nations Championship quarter-final football match at the Estadio Jose de Alvalade in Lisbon. AFP PHOTO Lluis GENE |
"It is a big disappointment because the adventure has come to an end when we could have hoped to go all the way," said Santini who now leaves the post to take over at Tottenham next season. "In the first half, the Greeks deserved to score but after half-time the reverse was true.
"However once we went behind we seemed to want to play as fast as possible," added Santini, who had never suffered a defeat in a competitive match since he replaced Roger Lemerre after the 2002 World Cup debacle.
Charisteas basked in the glory and said it was a well deserved victory.
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| France's Thierry Henry (R) watches as the Greek team celebrate after scoring, 25 June 2004 during their European Nations football championships quarter-final match between France and Greece at the Jose Alvalade stadium in Lisbon. AFP PHOTO ADRIAN DENNIS |
"I believe this is the greatest moment in Greek football. All Greeks must be proud today, wherever they are, they should smile and rejoice at this victory," said Charisteas, who scored his second goal of the tournament.
"We put in a great effort against a great team and I believed that we proved, particularly to those that have come from Greece to watch us, that it was because of our effort that we're here and not because of luck. We deserve to be where we now are.
"Now that we have reached this point, everything is possible."
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| Greece's midfielder Georgios Karagounis (front) runs past French defender William Gallas, 25 June 2004 during their European Championship quarter-final football match between France and Greece at the Estadio Jose de Alvalade in Lisbon. AFP PHOTO ARIS MESSINI |
Over the 90 minutes, Greece were worthy winners against a French side that never got anywhere close to the level of performance many expected them to produce in their first encounter in the knockout stage of the competition.
The goal was worthy of winning any match as Theodoros Zagorakis was afforded acres of space on the right and his chip was equally precise, allowing Charisteas to power an unstoppable header high past Fabien Barthez from eight yards out.
The rest as they say is ready for the history books.