Greece |
0 - 0
This match has ended. Upcoming related matches:
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Poland |
Greece vs Poland Live Streams and TV Channels
| Country | Channels |
|---|---|
| International | FIFA.com, OmniSportTV, Live Sport TV |
| *Don't see your country or favourite channel listed? Let us know and we will include it. | |
Greece vs Poland Delayed and Repeat Broadcasts
| Country | Date/Time (US/Eastern) | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Portugal | Tue, Mar 29 16:40pm | Sport TV2 |
| *Don't see your country or favourite channel listed? Let us know and we will include it. | ||
Greece vs Poland Match Preview
Greece welcome EURO 2012 co-hosts Poland for an International friendly on Tuesday evening in Piraeus.
Georgios Samaras leads Greece against Poland on Wednesday at the Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus
Greece meanwhile are aiming to qualify for the tournament and currently lead Group F of EURO 2012 qualifying with 11 points from five matches, ahead of Croatia, Georgia, and Israel in a tight section.
Greece squeaked through past Malta on Saturday with a 1-0 win courtesy of a last-gasp winner by Vasilis Torosidis in a Group F qualifier. Fernando Santos’ bunch were mediocre at best on the night in Ta’Qali where the hosts Malta so very nearly claimed a surprising point.
In the end, the three points were claimed though midfielder Pantelis Kafes told the media this week that despite a poor performance his team deserved the victory, “The match against Malta was difficult, however the points we gained were crucial. We must continue on. Against Poland we have the opportunity to try different tactics and we hope that the people will come to support us.”
Santos is surely set to play many of the squad who did not feature against Malta over the weekend. This should mean that there should be a place in the starting eleven for the likes of Kafes, Vagelis Moras, and Giannis Fetfatzidis.
Santos may however avoid wholesale changes as besides a chance for experimentation this match is the start of an important few matches for Greece. Should the national side defeat Poland and Malta in a qualifier in June and then avoid defeat to Italy in a friendly shortly after, Greece may be one of ranked European nations for the draw for the 2014 World Cup to be held later this summer.
Poland meanwhile are building toward a side capable of impressing at next year’s European Championships. The team were heavily criticized in the domestic press following a dour display against Lithuania.
The match against Greece will be special for Polish supporters in that it will signal the end of Michal Zewlakow’s international career. The most-capped Polish player in history, Zewlakow’s desire was to end his international career in Greece, where he enjoyed his most successful club playing days at Olympiakos.
The 35-year-old defender has captained his country on many occasions and will play for Poland for the 102nd and last time.
Greece vs Poland Match Report
Greece and Poland played out an uninspired 0-0 draw in Piraeus on Tuesday evening.
Kostas Mitroglou had the best chances for Greece against Poland
The match was memorable in the sense that it was the international curtain call for Polish defender Michal Zewlakow. The 35-year-old player turned out for his country for the 102nd time and was given a standing ovation by all in attendance when he was substituted in the 62nd minute. It marked the end of a fine Polish career which has seen Zewlakow become Poland’s all-time leader in international caps.
Fernando Santos made several changes to the side that defeated Malta on Saturday and there was a place in the starting eleven for the likes of Mitroglou, Giannis Fetfatzidis, Vagelis Moras, Panagiotis Kone, Loukas Vyntra, and Kostas Chalkias in goal.
Despite the wholesale changes, Greece started the brighter side and were unlucky not to have gone ahead on 11 minutes when Mitroglou’s volley was superbly saved by man-of-the-match Grzegorz Sandomierski in the Polish goal.
Greece continued to create half-chances throughout the opening 45 minutes with Mitroglou in the mood to score, though the on-loan Panionios striker wasted a couple more opportunities.
Poland began to claim a foothold in the proceedings after a shaky start and could have scored through Ludovic Obraniak and Slawomir Peszko in a five-minute spell midway through the first half.
After the break, Poland looked most likely to break the deadlock, but Lewandoski missed a fantastic chance just two minutes in to break free past Chalkias as the PAOK goalkeeper kept the Poles at bay.
Several substitutions played a role in breaking up the tempo toward the end, though it was the hosts who could have won it late on, but Vyntra missed a header at the far post after a flick on from Nikos Lymperopoulos.
The draw kept Santos’ undefeated record for Greece intact after nine matches which has featured six wins and three draws. Greece next play Malta at home in a EURO 2012 Group F qualifier on June 4th, while Poland’s next match is a June 9th friendly at home against France.