Ethniki Omada Memorable Moments Part 2

The Save that Broke Our Hearts

The 1994 World Cup should have been a great moment for Greece but it wasn’t, we lost all three games and didn’t score a goal but when the campaign for the 1998 World Cup came around we looked much different and much better.

Against the very good teams of Croatia and Denmark at the time Greece fought hard and it was going to be settled with a game against Denmark in Athens at sold out OAKA.

Greece had to win to get to France 98.

The first half saw some chances for both teams but Peter Schmeichal made it look easy and the Danish efforts were off target.

The second half would be a story for the ages though... many remember one chance that came to Alekos Alexandris at the end of the match but there were a few at both end before it.

Nikos Dabizas actually hit the post early in the 2nd half with a great header that Schmeichal knew little about it. Stratos Aposotolakis would sky a loose ball well over the goal when Schmeichal punched out a clearance minutes later and Kostas Frantzeskos would send a shot, right at Schmeichal off a counter attack that had the Danes scrambling.

The Danes would then counter with Brian Laundrup dribbling all our defence and set up Miklos Molnar for a shot that Ilias Atmanzidis would do very well to save.

Inexplicitly the OAKA would light up as fans started throwing flares on the field, the stadium red in colour and smoke, it took a good 10 mins to get the game underway. Only in Greece.

With play back on, Nikos Machlas would header just wide of goal and then... with less than 10 minutes to go, Alexandris would find himself one on one with Schmeichal, he did not have long to think but the best goalkeeper in the world at the time would make himself a big as he could and he saved the shot, it's a moment in Greek Football that will remain with many forever, it should have been the moment we won our ticket to France but it wasn’t to be. The whole moment took less than 5 seconds, after all the pressure we had piled on the Danes, everyone hoped to see the ball in the back of the net, and instead it caught Peter on the knee.

From the corner Dabizas would send a bullet header into the clutches of Schmeichal and in the last play of the game, Ioannis Kalitzakis would header just wide.

The full-time whistle came seconds later as millions of Greek hearts were broken but to this day, it was one of the most open and dominating performance I have seen from the Ethniki, and what could have been, it was a must win game and we created so many chances, we have been in such positions before in more recent times but have not been able to create as much as we did in all those game now as what we did on that night in Athens on October 1997.

By Greg Gavalas for Hellas Football
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Greece Write World Cup History in Rehhagel’s Last Go

Almost a decade has passed since Greeks around the world rejoiced as their Ethniki Omada finally won their first ever match at the biggest tournament in the world.

For many young Greek football fans (including myself), the 2010 World Cup in South Africa was the first chance to watch the national team compete on such a large stage.  

But with legendary coach Otto Rehhagel at the helm and influential midfielders Giorgos Karagounis and Kostas Katsouranis featured prominently in the squad, younger fans could observe the fighting spirit that won Greece the 2004 European Championship in their dramatic comeback victory against Nigeria.  

After a poor performance losing 2-0 to South Korea, the Ethniki came into Bloemfontein and started the game against Nigeria no better.  In the 16th minute, goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas let in Kalu Uche’s intended cross from a set piece in dreadful fashion. Broadcaster Pavlos Papadimitriou summed up the mood perfectly during this moment, repeatedly crying out “οχι παλι τετοιο γκολ (not another goal like this)” to highlight the national team’s recent struggles.  

However in a stroke of incredible luck for Greece and unbelievable indiscipline for Nigeria, Sani Kaita was shown straight red in the 33rd minute after getting into a minor spat with Vasilis Torosidis where he ended up kicking the Greek right back in the thigh.

From this moment on, it was all Ethniki.  Rehhagel upped the ante by making an attacking minded substitution, having Georgios Samaras take the place of the then 21 year old Sokratis Papastathopoulos.  Attacking fearlessly and putting an extreme amount of pressure on the Nigerian backline, the Greeks finally scored their first World Cup goal after going goal-less in the United States back at their first mundial in 1994.

The goal, scored by Dimitris Salpingidis in the 44th, was distinctly Greek; not pretty, but hardly fought for and well deserved.  From just outside the box, Salpi rifled a nicely placed back pass from Katsouranis off of a defender, leaving Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama watching the ball go into the back of net as he fell helplessly in the opposite direction.  

The second half was more of the same for Greece, as they poured men forward in search of the goal that would win them their first ever World Cup match in their storied history.  Enyeama, however, was not so keen on conceding a second goal and he continued to make impressive save after impressive save. He was subsequently awarded the man of the match award for his huge efforts.  

But the Nigerian goalkeeper could only do so much for his undermanned team, eventually conceding the winning goal to future Ethniki captain Vasilis Torosidis in the 77th minute.  And once again, Enyeama could do absolutely nothing about it. After he spilled a strong Alexandros Tziolis shot through traffic, the ball landed right into Toro’s lap, who fired the ball into the back of the net from point-blank range.  

The Ethniki kept the pressure on for the remaining minutes, refusing to relax in order to ensure their maiden World Cup victory.  And sure enough, the Greeks held out and earned the three points.

Although they would fail to earn a result against Argentina in the next match, Rehhagel’s squad proved to the world that- after poor showings in previous international tournaments- Euro 2004 was no fluke and that Greece deserved to compete at the highest level going forward.  For the legendary German coach, however, this mundial would be his last hurrah. Rehhagel resigned from the head coaching position right after Greece failed to make the knockout stages.

Although this move put an end to the most illustrious era in Greek football, Rehhagel’s ability to bring the Ethniki back to international prominence paved the way for the team and his successor, Fernando Santos, to continue on at the highest level and improve Greek football every step of the way (that is, until Fernando left).

By Nick Gargano for Hellas Football