Gekas strikes twice in win over Slovakia

Returning to action for the first time since their early exit from the European Championships in Austria and Switzerland, Greece managed to secure a 2-0 win over Slovakia in Bratislava last night. A pair of goals from second-half substitute Theofanis Gekas gave Greece its first win over Slovakia.

Using the opportunity to scout several players, Otto Rehhagel elected to keep the face of the squad the same but allowed room for a few newcomers to crack the starting eleven. One of the lucky few was Sokratis Papastathopoulos, a former-AEK player who recently made the move to Serie A club Genoa. The youngster was kept busy in the opening forty-five minutes, as the home side created several chances. Playing under new manager Vladimír Weiss for the first time, the Slovaks were unable to capitalize on several opportunities they had in the opening frame.

Aided with substitutions, a revitalized Greek side took the pitch in the second half. Capitalizing on the lack of finishing in the first half, Greece grabbed the advantage shortly after the restart. Breaking the deadlock shortly after the hour-mark, Theofanis Gekas turned in a pass from Dimitrios Salpingidis to give Greece a 1-0 lead. The Bayer Leverkusen striker doubled his tally twenty-minutes later when e beat three defenders on the turn and slotted the ball past a stranded Štefan Senecký. Gekas nearly bagged a third just before the final whistle, but his effort was well saved by a stretched Senecký.

The win gives Greece plenty of confidence heading into the country’s quest to reach the World Cup Finals in South Africa; with the first match to that tricky task less than a month away. AEK fans could be relieved to see Sotiris Kyrgiakos and Angelos Basinas finally see action this summer. Basinas, who captained the team played, eighty-one minutes; Kyrgiakos, meanwhile, was limited to only the second half.

Greece 2-0 Slovakia
Gekas 61′, 82′

Yellow Cards:
Greece – Karagounis 19′
Slovakia – Cech 19′

Slovakia (Vladimir Weiss): Senecky, Zabavnik, Skrtel, Durica, Cech, Hamsik (79′ Svento), Karhan, Kozak (66′ Mintal), Vittek, Sapara (59′ Sestak), Holosko (54′ Sebo).

Greece (Otto Rehhagel): Chalkias, Seitaridis (46′ Spiropoulos), Torosidis, Dellas, Papastathopoulos (46′ Kyrgiakos), Katsouranis, Basinas (80′ Patsatzoglou), Karagounis (68′ Vyntra), Salpingidis (73′ Lyberopoulos), Amanatidis (46′ Gekas), Charisteas.