“How to deal with pace”

Lars Lagerback on stopping the threat of quick strikers like Thierry Henry.

Suggestion: Cut his hands off.

After a score-less draw in Athens on Saturday, Greece secured their spot in next summer’s FIFA World Cup in South Africa on the final day of qualifying. A sweet pass from Giorgos Samaras found Salpingidis with plenty of space as he slipped past the Ukrainian defense and released a grounded effort past Andriy Pyatov, which flirted with the right post before catching the corner of the goal.

It wasn’t just Salpingidis or Samaras that contributed to the Greek victory. No, Greece isn’t a team that revolves around one player’s performances. It’s a team that plays and wins like a team. Therefore, the performance of Alexandros Tzorvas in the Greek goal should be duly noted. The Panathinaikos ‘keeper was sensational as he turned away Oleksandr Aliyev, and Andiry Shevchenko on numerous occasions.

Furthermore, the Greek defense, despite late injuries to Vasilis Pliatsikas and Vaggelis Moras after substitutions ran dry for Otto Rehhagel, gave a performance that resembled the magical run from EURO 2004.

Giorgos Karagounis has truly evolved into the team leader, and seems fit to play the same role that Thodoris Zagorakis feature in as captain of the EURO 2004-winning Greek squad, while Kostas Katsouranis’ move back to Greece is paying off on his international career.

In attack, the golden-boy Angelos Charisteas was a surprise starter for me as I expected Theofanis Gekas to partner up with Samaras, but he did his country proud with another blue-collar performance. Samaras, however, as my friend put it “looked like a real Spartan out there.” Granted the Celtic striker is actually from Crete, he managed to earn a second hometown with a commanding performance in the Greek attack as he looked untouchable at times when dribbling through a handful of Ukrainian defenders.

So thanks to a moment of brilliance and a lot of hard work, or what can be classified as a near replica of a 1-0 win over Turkey that clinched a berth at EURO 2008, Greece are heading back to the World Cup for the first time in nearly sixteen years and for just the second time in their history.

Their maiden-appearance at USA ’94 saw Greece finish the group-stage with a winless record as Argentina, Bulgaria, and Nigeria claimed wins to leave the Greeks at the foot of the table and on the first charter back to Athens.

It might be that sort of legacy that allows for fans of the game not pledging to the Blue-and-White to conspire against Greek football, with remarks such as “I hate to say it, but the loser here isn’t Ukraine, but SA 2010 if Greece qualify. 90 mins of naptime,” or “Greece are through, by the by. So 31 watchable teams at SA2010 at most.”

As you can see there is a lot of hate towards Greek football, just because the Ethniki doesn’t employ talents such as Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. But on a night where France’s Thierry Henry showed talent comparable with compatriot and NBA star Tony Parker to provide an assist for William Gallas and mastermind an undeserved defeat of the Irish in Paris, Greece isn’t the side that is undeserving of their World Cup berth.

In fact, teams like France and Portugal displayed anything but “watchable” football as their play-off detour suggests – particularly Titi with his criminal activity against the Irish.

So to all the anti-Greeks out there, I tell you to “F*** OFF, and have a good day!” To the rest of the lot, “See you in South Africa!”

Beating Latvia and Luxembourg on the final two matchdays of preliminary play in Europe was not enough to book a direct ticket to South Africa, despite a 0-0 draw for the Swiss against Israel.

So play-offs is the route we must take, a slight detour from the once thought direct passage to South Africa. Last Friday’s release of the October FIFA World Rankings confirmed Greece’s spot as one of the four seeded teams in Monday’s draw in Zurich.

We were joined by France, Portugal, and Russia as the four seeded teams, while Ukraine, the Republic of Ireland, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Slovenia were placed in the unseeded pot.

Although it is obviously a great benefit to have been a seeded team in the draw – eg. we avoid Russia, France, Portugal (we kick their ass every time) – the way the draw results worked out it still seems like Greece is an unseeded team. Not because Ukraine is our opponent, but the fact that some bullshit manoeuvre by FIFA sees Greece host the first match on 14 November, and play visitor in the second leg four days later.

Like seriously, what kind of bullshit move is that? We were ranked as a seeded team, so in my opinion, and traditionally UEFA’s as well, we should have home advantage on the second matchday. That’s what they use for the UEFA Champions League, it was used for the UEFA Cup, and it will be used again for the UEFA Europa League. So why the fuck does it not apply for international competitions? Beats the fuck out of me.

Anyway, I’m not going to complain too much about that. I have the utmost confidence in the national team to beat a really solid Ukraine team. In all fairness to Ukraine, but from the most objective perspective I can take, Greece is the more complete team in this tie – despite the whole Shevchenko factor (who, might I add, is NOT the only Ukrainian player I know).

There are many Ukrainians which pose a threat, and Greece has encountered this threat in recent qualifying campaigns – notably during their bid to reach the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Greece tied Ukraine in the first fixture in Kiev, before slipping to defeat in Piraeus – thanks to that schmuck Basinas.

The draw in Ukraine, the more admirable of the results leads me back to some vintage Greek videos. The clip below is Greece’s strike from ex-footballers Vassilis Tsiartas, who AEK Athens FC fans know as their clutch free-kick taker.

That right there is a GOLARA my friends.

Author’s Note: It’s obvious after yesterday’s post by offside.com and worldcupblog.org blogger Chris on the main page that Greece is not taken seriously on this website, and that’s fine by me – Greeks will take the underdog ranking any day.

FIFA or UEFA rankings for us mean absolutely nothing. They’re never accurate so when Greece is ranked highly all you’ll hear – from a general standpoint – is a “meh”. We only care about being ranked above our bitter rivals/thorns in our side “nations” – eg. Turkey, Albania, Bulgaria, FYROM (the parentheses around nation refers directly to the last named chunk of land we in Greece refer to as Skopia) Note: Lack of political correctness…awesome

Greece though have retained an incredibly frustrating ability though to turn the most promising of situations into a nightmare, somehow contriving to allow Moldova to sneak a late equalizer against them in Chisinau, following disastrous back-to-back losses against an extremely ordinary Switzerland.

Even with ten men in Basel the Greeks largely outplayed their opponents, though credit must go to Ottmar Hitzfeld’s men for recovering from what should have been a decisive home loss to minnows Luxembourg and beating Greece in Athens.

That match – and not the respective red card and last-gasp catastrophes in Switzerland and Moldova – will be considered the turning point of Greece’s qualifying campaign if they look back upon it without having booked a place in South Africa.

Questions will be asked of Otto Rehhagel’s tactics over the past week, though in truth there is no deficiency in his system as a whole, where he simply works with the resources he has.

His odd decision to replace Ioannis Amanatidis with the oft-indifferent Theofanis Gekas in Basel might have seemed innocuous at the time but it has changed the balance of this group; immediately upon his entry into the game he lost the ball, leading to Switzerland’s goal.

These are the fine margins upon which teams qualify for World Cups and on this occasion, Rehhagel totally misjudged the situation – inexcusable for such an experienced manager who knows his squad inside out.

For now though, six points must be the one and only objective from two winnable home games against Latvia and Luxembourg, which will decide whether Greece at least secure a chance for themselves at a first World Cup appearance since 1994 with a play-off.

From facing Luxembourg and Moldova they might now need to earn their passage with clashes against the likes of France or Portugal – and they only have themselves to blame.

It was supposed a win for Greece, it really was. After starting my second year of studies at York University earlier in the day, my return home was supposed to be a relaxing end to the day; however, a miserable night in front of goal caused me and many Greeks fans across the globe, to suffer a stressful evening.

It wasn’t all bad; in fact, a brief ten minutes of the game was perfect as Greece were clinging on for a 1-0 lead over Moldova, while the Swiss were losing to Latvia, 2-1 in Riga – results that would have set up for a three-way tie at the top of the Group 2 standings.

But if Eren Derdiyok’s equalizer in Latvia was any indication of how Greece’s night was going to end, Otto Rehhagel’s men were caught off-guard as second-half substitute Andronic etched himself onto the score-sheet on the  stroke of stoppage time.

It was a bitter blow for the Greeks as Theofanis Gekas was the lone striker to solve Moldovan ‘keeper Stanislav Namasco, despite a wealth of possession in the Moldovan end throughout the match.

While the draw doesn’t completely write-off Greece for a spot in South Africa next summer, they’re still tipped to at least grab second spot in the group, next month’s meeting with Latvia in Athens is all the more important.

After the Latvians beat Israel over the weekend, basically gaining ground on Greece, a draw with the Swiss on Wednesday leaves them level on points with the Greeks – only an inferior goal differential keeping them just behind the 2004 European Champions.

So with two games left in qualifying, Switzerland top the table with 17 points, Greece and Latvia next up with 14, Israel – who romped Luxembourg 7-0 on Wednesday – remains in fourth on 12 points, while minnows Luxembourg and Moldova round up the group with 5 and 3 points respectively.

While Greece hosts Latvia on 10 November, Switzerland travel to face Luxembourg – the lone side to have beaten them during this campaign, and Israel tackle Moldova at home.

Four days later, on 14 November, Greece conclude their campaign at home to Luxembourg, while Israel visits Switzerland, and Latvia hosts Moldova.

Match report

Highlights:

Unfortunately, with just three matches left, what once looked so promising now looks barely achievable. Having been jipped for a 2-0 loss to the Swiss on Saturday, Greece face Moldova in Chisinau today (Wednesday), and anything but a win could potentially see Greece miss out on a trip to the World Cup, again.

Trailing Switzerland by three points for that automatic qualification spot, the hope for top spot is not completely lost; in fact, if Latvia can do Greece a favour and beat the Swiss today, that result alongside a Greek win would catapult the 2004 European Champions back to the summit of Group 2 – only this time the Latvians and Swiss would join Greece for a here-way tie for first.

But Moldova has never been an easy place to play for the Greeks, even in Athens Otto Rehhagel’s men have struggled to get a result. Bar their recent meeting with the Moldovans at the Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus, Greece has just managed slim 1-0 and 2-1 wins against the minnows of the group – Nikos Liberopoulos netting a dramatic winner in the dying seconds, twice.

So if Greek fans are a bit worried this evening, they have reason to be. Expected to come through, Greece are tipped to take the first step to recovery at the Zumbru Stadium, but for a country that hasn’t qualified for a World Cup since USA ‘94, a play-off spot berth is like walking down a dark alley.

Thankfully their guiding light has been declared fit to play tonight, Giorgos Karagounis is expected to the line-up after missing the weekend fixture in Basel – news certainly welcomed with open arms by Greek fans everywhere.

After opening up their campaign with a win on Friday over F.Y.R.O.M, England failed to grab another set of three points in Greece, as Nikos Nioplias men kept their grip on first place intact by extending their ubeatean record after three matches — a streak that includes prior wins over F.Y.R.O.M and Lithuania.

An early goal from Daniel Sturridge got England on their way, but Greece levelled before the half through starlet Sotiris Ninis.

Olympiacos CFP prospect Konstantinos Mitroglou really should have won Greece the game, but both times the 21-year-old failed to net.

While the result should have been a win, but still a draw is okay I guess, the more impressive entity of the game was the exciting tempo of play displayed by the Greeks. Previously playing against lesser opposition, Greece’s first test against a reputable team in the U-21 scene saw the likes of Ninis, Mitroglou, Vasilis Koutsianikoulis, Ilini Dimoutsos really shine.

You can see a full match report here.

Anyway, first off, I am deeply sorry for abandoning you, my readers, I think there is like two, oh wait one of them is I think my colleague Chris, so yah that other guy that’s reading, this one’s for you…

Okay. In a match featuring the top two teams in Group 2 of the UEFA zone of qualifiers for next summer’s FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Greece travelled to St. Jakob Park for a highly-anticipated meeting with Switzerland.

With such high stakes on the line, a late first-half red card for Loukas Vyntra, was the ultimate, and solitary catalyst, for a late, very late, Greek meltdown.

Despite give it their all for just about eighty-minutes, about forty-one of those shorthanded, Greece conceded on eighty-three minutes to trigger a cave-in late in the second half.

A free-kick from Hakan Yakin was headed home by Stephane Grichting, while Marco Padalino confirmed the win for the Swiss with a tally of his own five minutes after Ottmar Hitzfeld’s side grabbed the lead.

Despite the shortage in men, Greece had previously come close to scoring a goal of their own just after the hour mark. A team-mate of Vyntra’s at Panathinaikos FC, Nikos Spyropoulos nearly netted his first goal for the Greek National team when he fired a shot on-goal, only to have Diego Benaglio save the effort, but not well enough to avoid Greek fans slipping to the edge of their seats.

In fact, it must have been the most tormenting play of this qualifying campaign thus far, the saved effort eluding the Swiss goal before brushing against the post, only to have an offside-call on Giorgos Samaras end Greece’s best chance in disappointing fashion.

So the Swiss beat us again Belgian referee Frank De Bleeckere (I’ve found multiple names for him since Vyntra’s dismissal) handed Switzerland another win; he was the same referee who was in charge of that decisive second-leg play-off tie the Swiss had with Turkey in qualification for World Cup 2006. Guess who won that? ‘Nuff said.

And a recent posting on the very popular Greek site, www.sport24.gr, further backs notions that he is a poor referee – still UEFA chose him to officiate the recent UEFA Super Cup title between FC Barcelona and FC Shakhtar Donetsk. If you don’t believe me about how much of a screw-up he really is, check the videos on that sport24.gr link labeled as “posting”.

Now I have embedded a video to support my argument, sadly it’s German so I don’t really understand what the commentator is saying, but it shows enough of a replay to support my arguments.

While Vyntra and Magnin were both warned by De Bleeckere about the pair testing his patience, there seemed to be an added grudge towards Vyntra. And with one of the Swiss players pulling a pick-and-roll type maneuver found commonly in basketball, Vyntra easily lost his balance as he tried to keep up with Magnin.

But apparently placing one hand on a player, is not okay anymore, or wait, let me phrase: placing a hand on an opposing player is not allowed any more if a Greek does it.

Well, for now that is enough of a rant. You guys watch the video and decide if De Bleeckere made the right choice by leaving a comment below. Don’t worry, I don’t bite.

Match Report

Yes, the manager of the Greek National Team is raw with his comments, and a recent featured article of FIFA.com exposed Rehhagel’s greatest, and most unique, moments behind the microphone. I’ll warn you now; some phrases are classics, while some will leave you scratching your head. I’m sure you all can tell the difference.

“Everyone’s free to say what I want.”
Rehhagel on his attitude to criticism

“Verbals haven’t won a game yet.”
Rehhagel on pre-match jibes issued by an opposing coach

“I told the lads: don’t be too afraid if Thierry Henry appears in your dreams at night.”
Rehhagel ahead of a quarter-final meeting with France at UEFA EURO 2004

“I want to know the aftershave used by every player in Europe.”
Rehhagel on getting his players to stick to their men

“Saving easy shots is easy. Saving difficult shots is always difficult.”
Rehhagel on goalkeeping

“Some you lose, and some are won by your opponents.”
Rehhagel after a bitter defeat

“If you finish first, you’re in the right. So I’m in the right. You can speak to me again when I finish fifth.”
Rehhagel to a reporter unconvinced by success

“We play our best football when there’s no opposition.”
Rehhagel asked how he would return a team to winning ways

“The truth is out there on the field.”
Rehhagel answering criticism of his defensive tactics

“Football is like maths, two plus two makes four. If you reckon two plus two makes five, you lose.”
Rehhagel attempting to explain football

“If I lose a couple of matches, the people who were throwing flowers at me suddenly throw the pots as well.”
Rehhagel asked what would happen if a losing streak continued

“In the past, they all did as they pleased. Now, they all do what they can.”
Rehhagel on the secret of his success with Greece

“I started thinking about the Swedes back in 1958, when Pele scored his first goal.”
Rehhagel on opening day opponents Sweden at UEFA EURO 2008

“I need players who are better with the ball than with a microphone.”
Rehhagel on media interest in his players

See the full article at fifa.com

A second-half penalty from Giorgos Samaras gave Greece a slim 2-1 win over Israel in Heraklion, after the visitors had equalized through Elyaniv Barda.

Greece assured they kept level with Switzerland with an edgy win in Crete, but the margin of error was far too slim as a goal from the spot was all that separated both sides at the final whistle.

Dimitrios Salpigidis gave Greece the lead after thrity-two minutes, but a spirited Israel fought back to level the score ahead of the hour mark. Their resistance was not enough to keep Greece from their first win in three competitive matches, as a crafty Greek offense regained the lead through their Celtic striker.

First Half

With such high stakes on the table in Crete, the match got off to a nervy start – similar to the introduction in the Israel five days earlier.

Again it was Israel who started out on the right foot as Dror Kashtan’s men looked to make the most of their early possession. They pushed through the Greek defense with Benaram Kayal leading the charge and aiming for team-mate Omer Golan with a cross. A quick Kostas Chalkias, however, leaped off his line to foil the effort and assure there weren’t any early surprises in Crete.

Greece forged its first attack through Angelos Charisteas, as the man charged with scoring Greece’s most important goal in his nation’s history sped down the flank; only after an outlet pass from strike partner Theofanis Gekas allowed the Bayer Leverkusen striker to indulge in some space. Charisteas’ effort, however, was not as intuitive as a sharp Israel defense recovered in time to block the chance, and leave ‘keeper Dudu Aouate untested.

Although both sides got off to an energetic start through the first fifteen minutes, a rather congested quarter-of-an-hour ensued. Israel’s defense was the main ingredient in the match’s dry spell ahead of the half-hour mark.

But if there was going to be a breakthrough ahead of the interval, Greece’s confident attack was the likely route. A well orchestrated corner was poorly cleared by the Israel defense as Dimitrios Salpigidis pounced on the loose ball; and with a driven effort, the Panathinaikos striker beat Aouate to send Greece ahead on thirty-three minutes.

Boosted by their breakthrough, Greece continued to pepper the Israeli end with continuous raids. While their attacking line was now confident in their approach, the Greek lead was to be just one ahead of half-time.

Second Half

In a challenge similar to Saturday’s second-half agenda, Israel again faced an up-hill battle to at least secure a point in Greece. Yossi Benayoun was introduced ahead of the second frame as a quiet Ben Sahar was extracted by manager Kashtan.

Despite the addition of the highly-touted Liverpool midfielder, Greece still mustered a convincing venture into Israel’s end. A creative stroll by Giorgos Karagounis resulted in Charisteas finding Gekas with a pin-point cross, but the on-loan Portsmouth striker directed his free-header wide.

Israel’s push for a comeback resumed soon after the latest Greek miss, and this time they were rewarded. A bit of sloppy defending inside the Greek box resulted in a loose ball falling for Elyaniv Barda, who fired a hard shot on goal which whizzed past a confused Chalkias.

Deflated by the equalizer, Greece was forced to start from square one. Knowing their hopes of reaching the finals in South Africa would look dim with a draw, Rehhagel’s troops pursued yet another tally.

There hopes were restored in full effect when Vasilis Torosidis sacrificed his body to earn a penalty for Greece. A recently substituted Giorgos Samaras stepped up to take the decisive penalty, and the Celtic striker showed great composure as he restored the Greek lead on sixty-seven minutes.

With Israel now against the ropes, it was expected of the visitors to seek plenty of possession in an attempt to level the score. Greece’s determined defense assured that was not in the immediate future as the Israeli midfield was perplexed by a sturdy Greek back-line.

Furthermore, Samaras had a chance to bag a late brace, just ten minutes after giving Greece their second lead of the game. The lanky striker was in position to make the most of Giourkas Seitaridis’ cross, but poor judgement from Samaras saw his effort smash into the crowd of Israeli defenders.

Greece had another chance to assure three points went to the home side, but a breakaway for Kostas Katsouranis was foiled by an alert Aouate. Nonetheless, Greece held on to collect three points to stretch their total to thirteen points, and increase their lead over Israel to four points.