The Hindu : Sport / Football : Greece upsets Portugal

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 13, 2004

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Sport - Football

Greece upsets Portugal

PORTO (PORTUGAL), JUNE 12. Greece created the biggest opening game upset in European Championship history on Saturday by beating host Portugal 2-1.

Inter Milan's Georgios Karagounis fired the Greeks ahead with a low, 25-meter shot in the seventh minute to stun the home fans at the Dragao Stadium, home of Champions League winner FC Porto. Angelis Basinas added the second from the penalty spot six minutes into the second half after Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo had brought down Giourka Seitaridis.

A Portuguese goal finally came in the third minute of injury time when Ronaldo climbed to head home a corner by Luis Figo but it was too late.

Although the Portuguese didn't have to qualify as host, can repair some of the damage by beating Russia on Wednesday, it still has Spain to face in the final Group A game and may be going out in the first round.

It was the first time that the host had lost the opening game since the group format was introduced in 1984 and Greece's first victory in a major championship. ``Greece has great defence and attack as well. We started too nervous, we got more shots on goal in the second half but we couldn't turn it round,'' said Portugal coach Luis Felipe Scolari.

``We've got to win both games now. It's all or nothing against Russia. We'll need all Portuguese support behind us.''

Inter Milan striker Karagounis was allowed a free long range shot at goal for the first strike of the championship.

The goal was a shocker for the 45,000 Portuguese fans and also for Scolari, who led Brazil to the last of its record five World Cup triumphs two years ago.

The 12th European Championship almost had a goal in the opening minute. After Luis Figo conceded a foul on the right, Angelos Charisteas had a shooting chance but miskicked in front of goal.

But the Greeks didn't have to wait much longer.

The Portuguese defence backed off Karagounis as he ran through the midfield and he was allowed to fire a low 25-meter shot that flicked off the fingertips of diving 'keeper Ricardo Pereira inside the left hand post.

After two more near misses by the Greeks, Portugal went close in the 16th minute when Francisco Costinha's 25-meter shot beat 'keeper Antonios Nikopolidis but flew past the post.

Charisteas, who plays for German champion Werder Bremen, went close for Greece again when he climbed to meet a corner but headed high. At the other end, Rui Costa met a right wing cross from Paulo Ferreira but his header went tamely wide of the target.

With Luis Figo making some weaving runs, Portugal began to do more useful work with the ball. And the home side had another half chance in the 31st minute when Sabrosa Simao got clear of his marker Traianos Dellas but the 'keeper was quickly off his line to smother the ball at his feet.

Scolari sent on FC Porto's Deco and Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo for the second half to try and turn the game around. But the United teenager handed Greece its second goal six minutes into the second half when he hauled down Georgios Seitaridis in his own area. Basinas sent the 'keeper the wrong way.

Figo went on another long run before lobbing a shot too high in the 72nd and fired a 25-meter free kick over the top after he had been fouled. Deco then got free but fired a left footed shot past the angle of the post and bar.

Many of the Portuguese fans were already on their way out of the ground by the time Ronaldo headed home Luis Figo's corner.

``In top flight competition, the team that makes the fewest mistakes wins,'' Figo said. ``We made two and conceded two goals. The result isn't a fair reflection of how we played.''

Lineups:

Portugal: Ricardo Pereira; Paulo Ferreira, Fernando Couto, Jorge Andrade, Rui Jorge; Armando Petit, Costinha; Luis Figo, Rui Costa (Cristiano Ronaldo 46th), Simao Sabrosa (Deco 46th); Pedro Pauleta.

Greece: Antonis Nikopolidis; Giourkas Seitaridis, Traianos Dellas, Angelis Basinas, Mihalis Kapsis, Panagiotis Fyssas; Stelios Giannakopoulos (Themistoklis Nikolaidis 67th), Giorgos Karagounis (Kostantinos Katsouranis 46th), Theodore Zagorakis; Zissis Vryzas, Angelos Charisteas (Vasilios Lakis 74th). Referee: Pierluigi Collina, Italy.

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