February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Winning their preliminary qualifying games over Spain stirred many a Greek fanatic to believe his national team could go all the way. But the rest of the football world gave them little or no chance even to get out of their group in Portugal.
In their opening game they beat the hosts, then tied with Spain. It seemed then at that time the Greeks were gaining respect, until they lost to Russia. It was only by the skin of their teeth, that they did go on to the quarterfinals. Spain were on the same number of points, four, with two goals for and two against where as Greece had four goals for and four against. Greece slipped through to the next round.
That defeat by Russia convinced many that their opening results were just a flash in the pan, but on they moved. The Greeks put up a clinical team defense against France, winning 1-0, to get to the last four. They then beat the Czech Republic with a silver goal scored in the final kick of the first half of extra-time. It was sensational.
“I’m going to see if the miracle continues at Pack’s house,” said Gus Constantine of New York. The referee assignor for college soccer and ex-New York University men’s soccer coach was excited at the prospect of spending July 4th with his lifelong friend Richard Packard. “I hope they do it, it has been an incredible run,” he said. While Constantine realized it was a dream in the making, current NYU player and New Yorker Jon Simos was confident from day one that the Greeks were a threat.
“Euro Champions 2004,” is what Simos emailed non-believers. “Greece has improved on a consistent basis throughout their early qualifying round. We also have a great coach in Otto Rehhagel who has been building the team for three years. He also knows how to get results,” insisted Simos. That was his prediction well before the games started when Greece were 80-1 to win the tournament. We’ll never know if Simos was speaking with his football brain or his Greek heart but now he’s saying: “I told you so.”
Unbiased soccer fans thought the Greeks’ semifinal with the Czechs was an ugly game and that the tactics employed by coach Rehhagel were negative. Certainly, they defended with all their might and guile, and waited for any opportunity to get on goal and to take any hopeful chance. Even one goal would do. And that was the case right up to the final game. But surely most believed the beautiful game would shine through and Portugal’s possession football would prove better on the day.
Once again, though, the Greeks did it. And once again it was from a corner, their only corner of the game, in the 57th minute. In both semifinals, goals coming from corners also decided the game. We hardly need be reminded about the amount of corners wasted in the early stages of the tournament and yet it turned out to be the winning set-piece.
Portugal could not find a way through or around the Greek defense led by their captain and player of the tournament Theodoros Zagorakis. Portugal’s Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo were frustrated and their body language had defeat written all over it. The host fans watched on in silence and their eyes began to fill with tears.
The saddest spectacle of all was Ronaldo, who broke into convulsions and was unable to stop crying for quite some time. Still very much only a young man, he must have felt he threw away the game when he missed a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. While the Portuguese nation was in shock, millions of Greeks around over the world celebrated. Up the cup was raised, and blue and white were the colors of the day in Lisbon at the Estadio Da Luz, the Stadium of Light.
“Year of the Greece” was the motto for the downtown Athens party. Thousands upon thousands of supporters flocked to the streets and the celebrations have not stopped, and rightly so. It is exactly what Greek sports and soccer needed.
“These boys taught us a lesson as to what Greeks can do when we really believe in something and when we are united,” Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said.
It is just the tonic Athens authorities need as they prepare for the Olympic games.
Also, there’s been a lot of bad press about corruption and violence in the domestic soccer game, and the sensational Euro title, the Greeks hope, will greatly improve things.
Man of the match Zagorakis declared: “The heart and soul of the team are the greatest gifts that God ever gave us. The Greek soul is and always will be our strength.” It’s amazing to think that Greece had never previously won a game at a major tournament. It’s no wonder Zagorakis dedicated the cup to Greek people all over the world and in his homeland.
Meanwhile, Angelos Haristeas who scored the winner of the Euro 2004 final is called, “The Angel of Greece.”
The inspirational coach Rehhagel, who is known for breeding confidence and team chemistry, concluded, “Sport speaks for itself. It is amazing how football has managed to unite all Greeks, something that politics is unable to do. I would like to thank the team and everyone involved. We have worked hard over the past few years to develop the team and now you see the results.”
Many excuses have been made with regard to why the Greeks won Euro 2004. The most popular reason being advanced is: the top opposing players around Europe were exhausted with so many domestic fixtures. Also, a run in the Champions’ League doesn’t help their recovery in time for Euro. If that’s the case, then why bring them along?
Player power was a problem rather than an excuse at the event. Even if the Dutch had enough reason to be mad at their coach, players are still responsible to get it on when it comes game time. There’s a lot to be said for discipline and defensive responsibilities and that’s where the Greeks got it right. So did their coach. His game plan outfoxed everybody and he got the most out of his team — something the more famous teams could not do.