Greece, Italy play to a draw

A defensive duel between two Mediterranean rivals played to a stalemate finale on Wednesday night, as Italy pegged back to hold Greece to a 1-1 draw at the Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium. Without their star players for the most part, Greece and Italy failed to create any convincing scoring opportunities - apart from either tally.

The first half got underway with a cautious introduction, with defensive duties the primary objective for both sides. After a few flimsy efforts at both goalmouths, Italy grabbed the first decent opportunity of the match. A corner from Daniele De Rossi was handled poorly by the Greek defense, allowing Gennaro Gattuso to fire a shot at keeper Alexandros Tzorvas. The Greek debutant was equal to the task as he forced another corner. The Italians then had a few set-piece opportunities, but the side lethally known for its aerial abilities was unable to test a confident Tzorvas.

Greece was a little less accurate with its opening effort. Panathinaikos pair, Nikos Spiropoulos and Georgios Karagounis, connected through a clever pass from Spiropoulos. Karagounis, however, made little use of the crafted pass as he fired his effort unhandsomely over the bar.

Greece continued its cautious build-up towards the Italian end, as a united front guided the Greeks into Italian territory. Despite the several contributions to the Greek cause, Otto Rehhagel’s men struggled to penetrate the Italian defense.

Italy continued to press towards a breakthrough, but it was the final ball in each attempt that lacked conviction. Tzorvas continuously poached for slicing crosses, leaving Bayern Munich forward Luca Toni isolated.

At the other end Kostas Katsouranis narrowly missed out on putting Greece ahead, with a free-header opportunity the Benfica midfielder angled his header just wide of Morgan De Sanctis’ goal.

With the match holding a very slow tempo, it was difficult for either side to break free of the tight defensive hold awaiting each attack just past the midfield point. With so few chances, precision seemed like the key factor. A free-kick for the ‘Azzurri’ proved the key trait was lacking for the Italians, as De Rossi’s free-kick was narrowly missed by a sliding Toni and Giorgio Chiellini.

On a return to the Greek end a frustrated Toni attempted to take measures into his own hands by taking on defender Traianos Dellas. Despite narrowly rounding the Anorthosis Famagusta center back, Toni’s effort was not as handsome as he rolled his unbalanced effort way wide of the goal.

To the crowd’s dismay, referee Howard Webb overlooked a handball by Mauro Camoranesi who controlled a leftward ball with his foot and then his left hand. Greece was quick to protest, but another wave in the Greek attack shortly followed. Greek fans erupted in celebration when Evangelos Mantzios eluded De Sanctis and slotted home the ball; however, it was all for a lost cause as the Panathinaikos striker was flagged offside.

As the half died down, both sides showed their ambitions to hold a clean sheet. Italy’s Giuseppe Rossi tried to challenge Tzorvas’ goal just before halftime, but the Villarreal striker put a sharp run to poor use as his effort trickled into Tzorvas’ grasp.

A stalemate after a somewhat un-entertaining opening frame in Piraeus was just desserts for both sides. It was clear the experience-depleted roster on display for sides was lacking in the creation of convincing scoring opportunities. The Italians relied on the mastery of De Rossi, whilst Karagounis’ extra-gear effort was missing in the first half.

Noticing the gaps in his side, Otto Rehhagel made two halftime changes with Bundesliga duo Theofanis Gekas and Nikos Liberopoulos replacing Panathinaikos pair Mantzios and Karagounis. Marcelo Lippi also made two changes, but the modifications came in the midfield and the heart of the Italian defense. Nicola Legrottaglie replaced Chiellini, while Riccardo Montolivo made way for Simone Pepe.

The Italians started the second half brightly, as the Italians looked to test the Greek comforts early and often. Toni, however, couldn’t make use of his forty-seventh minute opportunity as he fired directly towards Tzorvas.

The Greek keeper continued to be peppered by Italian efforts. First, De Rossi teed up a streaking Pepe, but the Udinese winger released a weak shot which did little to trouble Tzorvas. Moments later, Camoranesi fired a blistering shot towards the Greek shot stopper and Tzorvas managed to fulfill his job description. But the rebound left many worried until a floored Tzorvas swatted the ball out of bounds for an Italian corner.

At the other end, Greece experienced better fortunes. A clever cohesion between Alexandros Tziolis and substitute Gekas saw Greece take the lead on fifty minutes. The Panathinaikos midfielder did well to leave the Italian back line dumbfounded with a slick pass to Gekas, who with his first touch beat De Sanctis with ease.

Sokratis Papastathopoulos looked certain to extend the Greek lead when he busted down the left flank. A sneaky Gattuso tackled the young Genoa defender prior to him releasing a shot. A free-kick near De Sanctis’ goal was awarded, but a low-driven shot from Angelos Basinas was easily handled by the Italian keeper.

It was only moments later that Italy pegged back to level the game. A De Rossi free-kick found a stretched Toni who placed his header cleanly past a flat-footed Tzorvas. The Bayern Munich striker freed himself of Greek defenders, to curl his header just inside the far side.

Italy could have grabbed the lead just minutes later but Toni’s layoff to Camoranesi was wasted by the latter, as the Juventus star fired directly towards the Greek keeper.

A flurry of substitutions interrupted the gradual growth of the match, as a refreshment of faces purged any progress either team had made. Greece narrowly grabbed a lead despite all the changes. Dimitrios Salpigidis received a pass from Katsouranis, but the Panathinaikos forward was unable to direct his effort goal wards - allowing it to roll wide of the goal.

The last chance of the match came just before the final whistle, but there was little to fear in Greek minds. Substitute Vicenzo Iaquinta had the opportunity to score the decisive goal, but like many players on this night, the Juventus striker couldn’t connect properly with the bouncing ball and the threat was called off.

Two champions of the new millennium couldn’t solve each other on this night, as an injury stricken Greece and Italy played to a 1-1 draw. Italian manager, Marcelo Lippi, would be happy his side did not lose in the Greek capital. With the draw the 2006 World Cup winner tied a long standing record with his streak of thirty-one consecutive undefeated, as manager of ‘La Nazionale’ tied legendary Italian boss Vittorio Pozzo.

For Greece, disappointment will surely be the mood after a somewhat poor effort in Piraeus. The Greeks conceded their lead after a series of defensive mistakes.

It was clear both managers were keen to experiment with their lineups on Wednesday night, as traditional benchwarmers got their playing time. For Greece, supports of the ‘Ethinki’ would be disappointed to see starlet Sotiris Ninis receive just two minutes of playing time.

Both sides will enjoy a long break before returning to action. Both teams have February friendlies scheduled, with the Italians meeting Brazil at the Emirates Stadium in London. Greece will enjoy home comforts when they meet Denmark in Volos.

Greece 1-1 Italy
Gekas 50′ - Toni 54′

Yellow Cards:
Greece - Vyntra 78′.
Italy - Camoranesi 15′.

Greece (Otto Rehhagel): Tzorvas, Spiropoulos, Papasathathopoulos, Dellas, Vyntra, Tziolis, Basinas (88′ Pliatsikas), Katsouranis, Karagounis (46′ Liberopoulos), Salpigidis (88′ Ninis), Mantzios (46′ Gekas).

Italy (Marcelo Lippi): De Sanctis, Grosso, Chiellini (46′ Legrottaglie), Cannavaro (60′ Gamberini), Bonera, Gattuso, De Rossi, Montolivo (46′ Pepe), Camoranesi (60′ Maggio), Rossi (70′ Iaquinta), Toni (60′ Gilardino).

Referee: Howard Webb (England)

Venue: Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece.