Viva la Espana! Champions of Europe!
Re-live the Euro 2008 Championship by selecting a match below or visiting the dedicated site Euro2008TV.com for articles, photos, and video highlights of your favorite team.
Greece
Euro 2008 Online Streams and TV Schedules
Greece at Euro 2008
Back to defend crown
In case some of you forgot, Greece are the reigning European Champions. They have also retained their legendary coach, Otto Rehhagel, and are ready to rely on the same tactics that won them their completely unexpected crown four years ago. The German coach ensured that Greece book their ticket to Euro2008 on virtue of their biggest strength: flawless organization. The Greeks had the best defensive record in their qualifying group and finished on top, ahead of teams like Turkey and Norway.
It would take an extraordinary tournament to see Greece triumph again this summer, but given the self-belief of Rehhagel’s side a run to the quarter-finals is not completely out of the question. Greece can certainly lock horns with Russia and come out on top. In their current form, they can even defeat Sweden. All in all, things are looking good for the Greeks. They were not handed an impossible group, and they seem to be coming into their own again.
Greece will not set the tournament alight with sparkling football, yet their staunch belief in the collective will nonetheless sway some neutrals. They will be relying on their veterans of Euro2004 to bring their experience to proceedings. That and the reassuring presence of Rehhagel will doubtless bolster the Greeks.
How Greece qualified
Greece amassed thirty-one out of a possible thirty-six points during the qualifiers. Their only defeat was a bizarre 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Turkey. Though Rehhagel has probably done more for the Greece national team than any other man, sceptics did criticize him after the loss to Turkey. The defeat proved to be a turning point, as Greece won seven of their eight remaining games.
How Greece play
Rehhagel prefers a 4-3-3, an adventurous formation, but one in which he stresses organization. Many of the players who hoisted the Euro2004 trophy still form the nucleus of the side. Trainos Dellas, Giorgios Karagounis, and Angelos Charisteas are three of the more prominent Euro2004 participants who still figure heavily in Rehhagel’s plans.
About the coach
The German has written himself in the history books by winning Euro2004. The 69-year-old is an obstinate man, yet one who backs up his hard-nosed nature with results. Rehhagel is a strong advocate of tactical organization and a solid defence. His Greece are not the most exciting team to watch, yet their ability to dig in and get results is uncanny.
Key players
Giorgios Karagounis- The former Inter man is a midfielder who works assiduously and has a great touch.
Angelos Basinas- A mainstay in the Greek team, and one who figured heavily in their Euro2004 glory. The defensive midfielder appeared eleven times in the qualifiers and scored thrice.
Star player
Theofanis Gekas – Bayer Leverkusen’s Gekas scored five times in nine appearances during the qualifiers. Two-footed and possesses great aerial ability.
Verdict
Greece will probably get past Group D. However, any progress beyond the quarter-final stage may be too much to ask. Hopefully, they will not relinquish their title with a whimper.
Article by Hasan Saiyid
Greece Euro 2008 News
- Football: Fans protest at Warsaw Euro 2012 stadium
(WARSAW ) - Three thousand supporters of Legia Warsaw staged an angry protest on Saturday after a match scheduled to be the first at the city's Euro 2012 stadium was cancelled on security grounds.
- Football: Whose Euro 2012 base-camps are where
Thirteen of the 16 teams qualified for Euro 2012 have favoured Poland over tournament co-host Ukraine as the location for their base-camps, including five who will play their group stage matches in Ukraine.
- Russia’s Euro 2012 Draw Not as Easy as it Looks – Alenichev
The Russian football team should guard against complacency at Euro 2012 because their group is not as easy as it seems, former Russia international striker Dmitry Alenichev said Saturday.
- Most Germans in favor of Greece leaving euro
The majority of Germans feel the euro currency bloc would be better off if debt-crippled Greece left it, a poll published in mass-selling newspaper Bild am Sonntag showed on Sunday.
- Euro-2012: Poland coach puts on the Russians and Greeks
Head coach of Poland national football team Franciszek Smuda stated that Russia and Greece are the main contenders to the quarterfinals of Euro-2012. It should be reminded that Russia, Poland, Czech Republic and Greece were in the same group.
- No love lost as Capello's reign ends
The post of England manager is often called the impossible job which is probably why it nearly always ends in tears. Fabio Capello became the latest victim when he resigned on Wednesday, leaving England with no coach and no captain four months before Euro 2012. There is usually a crisis before England travels to a major finals but this beats the lot.
- Man wins €680,000 with one-euro football accumulator bet
Anyone who has seen The Simpsons episode where Monty Burns opens a casino knows that betting is evil, and Gamblor will ensnare you with his neon claws if you partake. Taking a punt on the beautiful game, however, is a big part of European football culture and a huge money-making industry. But that industry has made a lot less money recently, thanks to a few lucky chaps who placed unlikely ...