The game began with Greece attacking sharply and winning two consecutive corners in the opening minutes. Shortly after the Greek surge, the game grew physical, seeing several fouls and Nikolaos Boutzikos being cautioned. The first half saw both teams exchange opportunities on goal, but the Czechs had the majority in possession. A shot by Ninis tested the Czech keeper, but the goalie was up to the task. The Czech Republic had chances of their own through Petr Wojnar and Lukáš Mareček. Despite the chances, both teams were incapable of beating either keeper.

The second half proved to be drama filled. Like the first half, Greece won another early corner, but the chance was wasted. Substitutions by both coaches, looked as if both team were going for the three points. The tempo of the match didn’t reflect each coach’s aspirations. Several shots sailed wide at both ends, until Greece captain Giannis Papadopoulos unleashed a shot that looked to trouble the Czech keeper. Moments later Greece suffered a blow, first Ninis was booked for a foul, and then booked a second time for simply requesting a booking — all be it seconds after the initial caution. The Greek mind set turned to defense from that point on, shorthanded the Greeks needed to stop the several waves of Czech attacks. First a break away chance was foiled by a sprawling Babaniotis. The Czech attack continued moments later with several shots and crosses whipping through the penalty box. The best chance came when a shot from Radim Řezník’s was pushed off the crossbar by the Greek goalkeeper.

With the draw, Greece gains a point for a total of 2. The Czechs also remain undefeated, but have 4 points to their name. The later game saw England and Italy play to the same scoreline, 0-0. Italy is level with Greece at 2 points. England is in the basement of Group B with 1 point.

The next matchday is set for Sunday, with Greece facing a must win game against England, at the same time Italy play the Czech Republic. No team is eliminated from the tournament in this group, but the same can’t be said for Group A. Two-time defending champions, Spain, are eliminated from the tournament after two consecutive losses against Germany and Hungary have foiled their chances for a 3rd consecutive title; Bulgaria have also lost both their matches, and like Spain are packing their bags early. Germany and Hungary sit atop Group A with 6 points, but a greater goal differential for Germany separates the two clubs who are destined for an encounter of Group A supremacy on Sunday.

After falling 1-0 to their opponents in Belgrade a week before, it was a must win for the Greek club looking for success in European competition. The game started with the hosts securing the lead and reviving their chances of progression. Barkoglou slotted home the first, and seventeen minutes later, Choutos, solidified the Panionios lead. The Panionios quest for the UEFA Cup took a severe blow nine minutes into the second half, as OFK’s William Artur De Oliveira pulled one back for the Serbian club. However, an unfazed Panionios held their composure and were rewarded when OFK conceded a penalty nine minutes later. Choutos stepped up, and converted for his second goal of the match. Panionios triumphed 3-1, and 3-2 on aggregate.

Panionios joins ten other clubs on the progression to the next round. Italian club, SSC Napoli, awaits the Athenian club for a spot in the UEFA Cup Qualification Rounds. The winners of the eleven 3rd Round ties will have the opportunity to qualify for the UEFA Cup group stage. This year’s UEFA Intertoto Cup will be last of its kind, as UEFA is discontinuing the tournament come next season. The first leg of the 3rd Round is set for this weekend, with Panionios hosting Napoli at Nea Smyrni on Sunday. Panionios will look to erase previous Greek tragedies in the tournament, as a Greek club has never qualified for the UEFA Cup via the Intertoto Cup.

Below is a list of all the fixtures as well as times, the home team is listed first. Dates are subject to change accordingly due to European campaigns taking priority for many Greek clubs.

The Olympiacos Blog at theoffside.com will include a detailed fixtures list for Olympiacos as well as continuous updates throughout the season which will eventually include match reports and highlights. Here’s to another exciting Protathlima!

Matchday 1: (31/08/08)
Olympiacos - Asteras Tripolis
AEK - Panathinaikos
Aris - Levadiakos
Larissa - Thrasyvoulos
OFI - PAOK
Iraklis - Panserraikos
Panionios - Skoda Xanthi
Panthrakikos - Ergotelis

Matchday 2: (14/09/08)
Skoda Xanthi - Olympiacos
Levadeiakos - Thrasyvoulos
Ergotelis - Aris
Asteras Tripolis - Larissa
Panathinaikos - Panthrakikos
PAOK - AEK
Panserraikos - Panionios
Iraklis - OFI

Matchday 3: (21/09/08)
Olympiacos - Panserraikos
Ergotelis - Levadeiakos
Aris - Panathinaikos
Larissa - Skoda Xanthi
Panthrakikos - PAOK
AEK - Iraklis
Panionios - OFI
Thrasyvoulos - Asteras Tripolis

Matchday 4: (28/09/08)
OFI - Olympiacos
Levadeiakos - Asteras Tripolis
Panathinaikos - Ergotelis
Skoda Xanthi - Thrasyvoulos
PAOK - Aris
Panserraikos - Larisa
Iraklis - Panthrakikos
Panionios - AEK

Matchday 5: (05/10/08)
Olympiacos - AEK
Panathinaikos - Levadeiakos
Asteras Tripolis - Skoda Xanthi
Ergotelis - PAOK
Thrasyvoulos - Panserraikos
Aris - Iraklis
Larisa - OFI
Panthrakikos - Panionios

Matchday 6: (19/10/08)
Olympiacos - Panthrakikos
Levadeiakos - Skoda Xanthi
PAOK - Panathinaikos
Panserraikos - Asteras Tripolis
Iraklis - Ergotelis
OFI - Thrasyvoulos
Panionios - Aris
AEK - Larissa

Matchday 7: (26/10/08)
Aris - Olympiacos
PAOK - Levadeiakos
Skoda Xanthi - Panserraikos
Panathinaikos - Iraklis
Asteras Tripolis - OFI
Ergotelis - Panionios
Thrasyvoulos - AEK
Larissa - Panthrakikos

Matchday 8: (02/11/08)
Olympiacos - Ergotelis
Levadeiakos - Panserraikos
Iraklis - PAOK
OFI - Skoda Xanthi
Panionios - Panathinaikos
AEK - Asteras Tripolis
Panthrakikos - Thrasyvoulos
Aris - Larissa

Matchday 9: (09/11/08)
Panathinaikos - Olympiacos
Iraklis - Levadeiakos
Panserraikos - OFI
PAOK - Panionios
Skoda Xanthi - AEK
Asteras Tripolis - Panthrakikos
Ergotelis - Larissa
Thrasyvoulos - Aris

Matchday 10: (16/11/08)
Olympiacos - PAOK
Levadeiakos - OFI
Panionios - Iraklis
AEK - Panserraikos
Panthrakikos - Skoda Xanthi
Larissa - Panathinaikos
Aris - Asteras Tripolis
Ergotelis - Thrasyvoulos

Matchday 11: (23/11/08)
Iraklis - Olympiacos
Panionios - Levadeiakos
OFI - AEK
Panserraikos - Panthrakikos
PAOK - Larissa
Skoda Xanthi - Aris
Panathinaikos - Thrasyvoulos
Asteras Tripolis - Ergotelis

Matchday 12: (30/11/08)
Olympiacos - Panionios
Levadeiakos - AEK
Panthrakikos - OFI
Larissa - Iraklis
Aris - Panserraikos
Thrasyvoulos - PAOK
Ergotelis - Skoda Xanthi
Panathinaikos - Asteras Tripolis

Matchday 13: (07/12/08)
Olympiacos - Levadeiakos
AEK - Panthrakikos
Panionios - Larissa
OFI - Aris
Iraklis - Thrasyvoulos
Panserraikos - Ergotelis
PAOK - Asteras Tripolis
Skoda Xanthi - Panathinaikos

Matchday 14: (14/12/08)
Larissa - Olympiacos
Levadeiakos - Panthrakikos
Aris - AEK
Thrasyvoulos - Panionios
Ergotelis - OFI
Asteras Tripolis - Iraklis
Panathinaikos - Panserraikos
PAOK - Skoda Xanthi

Matchday 15: (21/12/08)
Olympiacos - Thrasyvoulos
Larissa - Levadeiakos
Panthrakikos - Aris
AEK - Ergotelis
Panionios - Asteras Tripolis
OFI - Panathinaikos
Iraklis - Skoda Xanthi
Panserraikos - PAOK

Matchday 16: (04/01/09)
Asteras Tripolis - Olympiacos
Panathinaikos - AEK
Levadeiakos - Aris
Thrasyvoulos - Larissa
PAOK - OFI
Panserraikos - Iraklis
Skoda Xanthi - Panionios
Ergotelis - Panthrakikos

Matchday 17: (11/01/09)
Olympiacos - Skoda Xanthi
Thrasyvoulos - Levadeiakos
Aris - Ergotelis
Larissa - Asteras Tripolis
Panthrakikos - Panathinaikos
AEK - PAOK
Panionios - Panserraikos
OFI - Iraklis

Matchday 18: (18/01/09)
Panserraikos - Olympiacos
Levadeikos - Ergotelis
Panathinaikos - Aris
Asteras Tripolis - Thrasyvoulos
Skoda Xanthi - Larissa
PAOK - Panthrakikos
Iraklis - AEK
OFI - Panionios

Matchday 19: (25/01/09)
Olympiacos - OFI
Asteras Tripolis - Levadeiakos
Ergotelis - Panathinaikos
Thrasyvoulos - Skoda Xanthi
Aris - PAOK
Larissa - Panserraikos
Panthrakikos - Iraklis
AEK - Panionios

Matchday 20: (01/02/09)
AEK - Olympiacos
Levadeiakos - Panathinaikos
Skoda Xanthi - Asteras Tripolis
PAOK - Ergotelis
Panserraikos - Thrasyvoulos
Iraklis - Aris
OFI - Larissa
Panionios - Panthrakikos

Matchday 21: (08/02/09)
Panthrakikos - Olympiacos
Skoda Xanthi - Levadeiakos
Panathinaikos - PAOK
Asteras Tripolis - Panserraikos
Ergotelis - Iraklis
Thrasyvoulos - OFI
Aris - Panionios
Larissa - AEK

Matchday 22: (15/02/09)
Olympiacos - Aris
Levadeiakos - PAOK
Panserraikos - Skoda Xanthi
Iraklis - Panathinaikos
OFI - Asteras Tripolis
Panionios - Ergotelis
AEK - Thrasyvoulos
Panthrakikos - Larissa

Matchday 23: (22/02/09)
Ergotelis - Olympiacos
Panserraikos - Levadeiakos
PAOK - Iraklis
Skoda Xanthi - OFI
Panathinaikos - Panionios
Asteras Tripolis - AEK
Thrasyvoulos - Panthrakikos
Larissa - Aris

Matchday 24: (01/03/09)
Olympiacos - Panathinaikos
Levadeiakos - Iraklis
OFI - Panserraikos
Panionios - PAOK
AEK - Skoda Xanthi
Panthrakikos - Asteras Tripolis
Larissa - Ergotelis
Aris - Thrasyvoulos

Matchday 25: (08/03/09)
PAOK - Olympiacos
OFI - Levadeiakos
Iraklis - Panionios
Panserraikos - AEK
Skoda Xanthi - Panthrakikos
Panathinaikos - Larissa
Asteras Tripolis - Aris
Thrasyvoulos - Ergotelis

Matchday 26: (15/03/09)
Olympiacos - Iraklis
Levadeiakos - Panionios
AEK - OFI
Panthrakikos - Panserraikos
Larissa - PAOK
Aris - Skoda Xanthi
Thrasyvoulos - Panathinaikos
Ergotelis - Asteras Tripolis

Matchday 27: (22/03/09)
Panionios - Olympiacos
AEK - Levadeiakos
OFI - Panthrakikos
Iraklis - Larissa
Panserraikos - Aris
PAOK - Thrasyvoulos
Skoda Xanthi - Ergotelis
Asteras Tripolis - Panathinaikos

Matchday 28: (05/04/09)
Levadeiakos - Olympiacos
Panthrakikos - AEK
Larissa - Panionios
Aris - OFI
Thrasyvoulos - Iraklis
Ergotelis - Panserraikos
Asteras Tripolis - PAOK
Panathinaikos - Skoda Xanthi

Matchday 29: (12/04/09)
Olympiacos - Larissa
Panthrakikos - Levadeiakos
AEK - Aris
Panionios - Thrasyvoulos
OFI - Ergotelis
Iraklis - Asteras Tripolis
Panserraikos - Panathinaikos
Skoda Xanthi - PAOK

Matchday 30: (26/04/09)
Thrasyvoulos - Olympiacos
Levadeiakos - Larissa
Aris - Panthrakikos
Ergotelis - AEK
Asteras Tripolis - Panionios
Panathinaikos - OFI
Skoda Xanthi - Iraklis
PAOK - Panserraikos

Greece, who lined up with a strictly domestic lineup, looked to trouble the Italian offense with tight defense in the midfield. The Greeks grabbed most of the early chances; Giannis Papadopoulos tested the Italian keeper, but the shot was pushed aside for a corner. A dozen minutes later and Greece broke the deadlock. AEK player Michalis Pavlis played a give and go with Sotiris Ninis, and the AEK striker broke free of the tight Italian defense. Holding off one of the Italian defenders — being pulled on at the same time — Pavlis played the ball beautifully and with his left foot curled the ball around the Italian keeper. It stayed 1-0 for Greece for quite sometime. Giannis Papadopoulos continued to pressure the keeper into tough saves, as he fired from all around the box. The game proved to be a tight defensive affair with the midfield being very congested. The Italians had attacks of their own, but the majority were sent wide. Italy had another chance late in the match but the shot was sent wide of the Greek goal. The match was reaching its end when Italy was awarded penalty after Kyriakos Papadopoulos brought down Andrea Poli. Alberto Paloschi fired the ball down the middle of the goal. It was definitely a devastating blow for a Greek team that deserved the win. In the group’s other match, the Czech Republic over came England on home soil.

Greece’s next match is against the hosts, Czech Republic, while England look to improve against a ‘lucky’ Italian side. For now the Czech Republic top the group with 3 points, Greece and Italy follow with 1 point each, and England sit in the basement with no points to their name.

Greece reached the finals last year, only to fall to La Furia Roja Jr. (aka Spain U-19) 1-0 — it was Spain’s second consecutive U-19 triumph. With that being said, Spain is definitely the team to beat; but for Greece, they’ll have to wait until the knockout stages to have a crack at the defending champions. For now the Greek focus will be on Group B, consisting of the hosts Czech Republic, England, and Italy. First up Italy, on Monday night. The Greeks are once again led by Panathinaikos starlet, Sotiris Ninis; the 18-year old was inspirational in the 2007 run to the finals , and look for him to be in the core for this tournament. Sokratis Papastathopoulos just missed out on making the senior squad for EURO 2008, but with his experience gained from his time at AEK he will definitely be a key figure in Greece’s defense for this tournament. Fellow AEK teammate, Michalis Pavlis, will partner up with Olympiacos’ Lefteris Matsoukas to form a tricky Greek attack. New Olympiacos signing, Giannis Papadopoulos will support Ninis in the midfield, while Kyriakos Papadopoulos will man the center of defense alongside. In goal, Dean Bouzanis of Liverpool FC, will need to give a solid performance. After injury problems plagued the starting goalie last year, Greek manager Alexi Alexiou will hope he can avoid injury problems this year.

Many of the players in this year’s lineup are a new wave of talent, but many faces from the 2007 campaign remain in the fold. The task will be tough, as the opponents will be new to the team. The Italians are expected to go far in this tournaments, while England prove to be a tough squad to play against. The Czech Republic are hosts, and we’ve all seen what home advantage can make teams do.

Greece’s first game is against Italy, followed by a tilt with the Czech Republic three days later. The last encounter comes against England, where it could potentially be a ‘win or go home’ kind of game. Last year’s tournament saw Greece involved in many intriguing encounters, here’s to hoping it’s more of the same this year.

The Italy friendly will coincide well with Greece’s World Cup Qualifying Campaign, which sees them paired up with one half of EURO 2008 hosts, Switzerland; as well as Luxembourg, Israel, Moldova, and Latvia.

An friendly against Slovakia in Bratislava has already been set for August 20th, 2008. The friendly will act as a warm-up to Greece’s qualifying campaign, which kick starts on September 6th, against Luxembourg.

1. Take a look back at the good times of EURO 2004

2. And to solve the “hater” issues arising in this blog’s comments.

EURO 2004 is with a doubt the most unexpected result of Greek footballing history, and for that there is the right to remember the matches of that tournament in Portugal. Surely those days cannot last forever as Spain are now European Champions, but the bashing of Greek soccer will not be tolerated. For fans who “hate” Greece, I ask you to please avoid posting or better yet avoid visiting this section of the World Cup Blog….we don’t need your dirty mouths.

If you don’t like our national team’sstyle of play, don’t watch nobody is forcing you. I am sure you could’ve watched many different games during Greece’s three EURO games. I would also like to add that comments will be monitored by me personally and will be deleted if not appropriate.

For the fans of Greece, I leave you all with a video helping us remember the summer of 2004…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDv75xF-FCI&eurl=http://sport24.gr/html/ent/533/ent.241533.asp

The game opened up with both sides exchanging rushes, which produces limited chances. An early yellow card was shown to Aggelos Charisteas, but eight minutes later he was able to find his way through the Swedish defenders; sadly his shot rolled into the arms of Isaksson. Moments later, Sweden’s Svensson sent a volley over the Greece goal. The limited chances continued to slowly pour in at either end.

The best chance of the half came when a cross was met by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a header was lobbed over Nikopolidis and eventually over the Greece net. At the there end, Angelos Basinas let a bouncing shot rip; but Isaksson pushed it aside. 0-0 at the half.

The second half started with Theofanis Gekas subbed out for Georgios Samaras. Despite the change, Greece made limited impact in the attacking zone; opting to play the cautious passing game in their own half. Georgios Karagounis has Greece’s best chance, after intercepting a Swedish pass; but his attempt at goal were blocked by the Swedish center backs. In Greece’s end, the Swedes were able to win a throw in; a sloppy defense was exposed, and a slick passing play allowed Ibrahimovic to capitalise. 1-0 for Sweden.

Moments later, Sweden was back at it again. Ljungberg was denied by a solid save by Nikopolidis, but the rebound made its way to Ibrahimovic who rocketed it up in the air. The ball bounced awkwardly in front of the goal, and a clutzy Petter Hansson slots the loose ball past Nikopolidis, with his knee.

The game ends 2-0, and a disappointing defeat for the Greek side. The defending champions will look to regroup against Russia — who lost 4-1 to Spain earlier in the day.

Squads:

Greece (5-4-1): Nikopolidis - Seitaridis, Kyrgiakos, Antzas, Dellas (Amanatidis 71‘), Torosidis - Charisteas, Basinas, Katsouranis, Karagounis - Gekas (Samaras 46′).

Subs not used: Chalkias, Tzorvas, Patsatzoglou, Spiropoulos, Vintra, Goumas, Giannakopoulos, Tziolis, Salpingidis, Liberopoulos.

Sweden (4-4-2): Issakson - Alexandersson (Stoor 74’), Mellberg, Hansson, Nilsson - Wilhelm son (Rosenberg 77’), Svensson, Ljungberg, Andersson - Ibrahimovic (Elmander 72’), Henrik Larsson.

Subs not used: Shabaan, Wiland, Majstorovic Granqvist, Dorsin, Linderoth, Kallstrom, Sebastian Larsson, Allback.

Scoring Summary:

Sweden 2:0 Greece

Ibrahimovic, 67’, Hansson, 71’

Cautions:

Greece: Charisteas, 1’, Seitaridis, 52’, Torosidis, 62’,

Sweden: none

Referee:

Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)

Greece returns to Europe’s biggest stage with more than defense this time. Their defensive core boasts more of an attacking flare with the likes of Vassilis Torosidis and Giourkas Seitairidis pushing up the wings. On set pieces, Traianos Dellas will look to repeat his glorious moment from EURO 2004, but his new partner in crime could rival that feat. Eintracht Frankfurt defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos will most likely partner up with Dellas, who will be two towers in the defense, and targets on set pieces.

Ahead of the defense will be Kostas Katsouranis, who is a versatile defensive midfielder. Accompanied in the midfield by Giorgos Karagounis, and Aggelos Basinas, it will be crucial to Greek success that these three players compliment each other with their play.

Up front, will be a new and improved attack. Greece’s golden boy, Aggelos Charisteas, will most likely return to the lineup, while breaout stars Theofanis Gekas and Ioannis Amanatidis. Gekas has excelled since transferring into the Bundeliga two years ago. Amanatidis has grown his game since arriving at Frankfurt. On the bench could be Greece’s saviour (if necessary) in Nikolaos Lyberopoulos. Scoring many clutch goals in qualifying — including two late game winners vs. Moldova in qualifying –  ‘Lybe’ could be the clutch striker to solve a tight defense the Greeks face.

Unlike many squads in this year’s European Championships, Greece are fortunate to not be battling any nagging injuries in their starting lineup. Greek fans held their breath last week as inspirational midfielder Giorgos Karagounis was forced out of Greece’s first few training session in Austria. Now, the man who missed the EURO 2004 final through suspension, is back and ready for Greece’s opener in Salzburg.

This will be the first competitive meeting between Greece and Sweden in any type of international final. For Sweden, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of the tricky forwards to be aware of. While, veteran Henrik Larsson returns to add depth to the Swedish attack. The task of defending these two will be very difficult when factoring in Sweden’s supporting cast of Kim Kallstrom and Freddie Ljungberg. It is expected that Ibrahimovic will be marked by one of Greece’s defensive mid-fielders or fullbacks. The rest of the Swedish attack will be watched closely by the Greek back line.

Alongside Greece and Sweden, Group D features Spain and Russia — who meet in Innsbruck at 12pm EST. The task is a difficult one for Greece, but the Greek players insist they are taking each game in stride. “Who said anything about us being here to defend our title? The tournament hasn’t even started yet for us. First of all, it’s great to be here. We take one thing at a time. First match, then second match and so on,” said Greek striker Amanatidis.

With a 63 point dip, the Greeks are now only ten points ahead of EURO 2008 absentees, England. However, Greece’s slip still saw them cut the gap between them and France by one point, to ten. The rankings will definitely change by the time July hits, but Greece’s ranking will depend on their success in Austria and Switzerland this month.

1	Argentina	1559
2	Brazil	1513
3	Italy	1424
4	Spain	1303
5	Germany	1274
6	Czech Republic	1246
7	France	1143
8	Greece	1133
9	England	1123
10	Netherlands	1111