Ethniki Omada Memorable Moments Part 3

Captain courageous Karagounis

Greece defied the odds and advanced to the Quarter-Finals of the 2012 Euros with a 1-0 victory over Russia.

Greece started their campaign against hosts Poland with a 1-1 draw in the first matchday of the tournament. They then put in a disappointing performance in against the Czech Republic 1-2. There was some hope left going into the final matchday against Russia with Greece requiring a victory as well as the other result in the group to go Greece’s way.

The match against Russia was crucial for Greece to advance to the next stage of the tournament considering Greece failed to make an impact in the two previous major tournaments. Greece started the match on the backfoot with Russia creating most of the early chances but some great defending from the centre back pairing of Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Kyriakos Papadopoulos kept us in the game and the score level. Greece slowly worked their way into the game after taking some time to settle and then it was Greece’s captain and one of our greatest ever leaders to represent the country Giorgos Karagounis put Greece up with a low and hard shot that went straight through the Russian keeper and into the bottom left corner sending the Greek players and fans into raptures.

The match was fairly even from then on with both teams creating chances but it was left back Georgios Tzavellas who came closest and nearly sealed the 3 points with a stunning free kick that hit the cross bar and left the Russian keeper stranded.

From then on, the Russians would hardly threaten Greece’s defence with a lot of long shot efforts taken by the Russians that hardly troubled the Greek goalkeeper Michalis Sifakis who was behind the sticks.

Fernando Santos’ men were able to hold on in what was a gallant effort and showed that this team wouldn’t give up and showed enormous amounts of character to advance ahead of Russia into second spot in Group A and having the opportunity to play against world football powerhouse Germany.

At the final whistle, the team unity was on full display with all the players and coaching staff running onto the pitch jumping up and down in joy celebrating with the Greek fans inside the stadium. It was another memorable night in Greek football and we hope that we have similar scenes in upcoming major tournaments.

By Athan Stylos for Hellas Football _________________________________________________________________________________

Our French Odyssey As a 19 year old in 2004 I was at my place with 4 mates, in Paris, to watch the game against France. All of us were 3rd generation Greeks, from our grandparents who left the Motherland in the late 40's or early 50's after the Civil War. Nevertheless, our hearts weren't broken in two.

Whilst we are all from a French born generation that barely speaks Greek, we were all strongly supporting Greece that night. We didn't care. Nothing could take us away from our roots. That night was probably the biggest challenge of the tournament. Maybe in the Ethniki history. "If we do it, we will go to the end, I know it" my friend said. We were facing a reborn France team, 2nd at the FIFA ranking, with a very strong base of 9 world-champions 8 years before.

The game started, we were quite stressed, but very excited. We were also glad to see that Rehhagel chosen Fyssas instead of Venetidis. The 2 firsts chances were ours. First by Nikolaidis, second with Katsouranis, we were up screaming, thinking the ball was in but unfortunately, the referee decided it wasn't. A shot by Fyssas stopped by Barthez gave us our last thrill. That was the end of the first half already. We were impressed by our team, the "last ancient legion" my friend said. Second half started, shortly after, a shot by Henry just passed Nikopolidis post. Few minutes later, Kapsis got in front of a Trézeguet shot. It was hard and tense. Zagorakis saved us again from a French attack. It was becoming stifling. And then, the wonder, the one we expected, suddenly happened. On the right sight, Basinas passed the ball to Captain Theo. He chipped Lizarazu, then put his foot on the ball, controlled it well and put a pin point cross in. Charisteas got it. He literally catapulted it inside a motionless Barthez goal. We exploded. We yelled.

It was surreal. We were realising the impossible. After this, a weak shot from Saha, followed by Dacourt and another one from Henry, that Antonios got easily. That was all, nothing else.

Final whistle sounded. We could breathe again! We did it! We made the impossible! We just beat the best nation in Europe! We hit the streets and started screaming and singing. As there wasn't a lot at of us, we were insulted by French fans but we didn't care. We knew already It was ours. Everything was ours. 

The victory. The incredible success. Even the championship. It was for us. Our players wanted to show the world Greece was still here. That Alexander The Great didn't die in Babylonia, but that he was here, with his mind and his soul inside each part of all our warriors embodied by our heroic squad. The team motto was "Ancient Greece had 12 gods, Modern Greece has 11". Maybe that wasn't enough. Their were 23. And that night, all of our last ancient gods brought us straight to the Olympus peak.

By Alain Anastasakis for Hellas Football _________________________________________________________________________________

Salpingidis the Hero

The Ethniki Omada finished 2nd in Group 2 of UEFA qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup held in South Africa. The team was desperate to atone for the failed 2006 qualifying campaign and the Euro 2008 disaster. Only inconsistency kept the Ethniki behind the Swiss, who topped the group by a mere 1 point. Theofanis Gekas was the leading goalscorer in European qualifying but it was not enough to secure top spot.

We were a seeded team for the Playoffs and we got handed a tricky two-leg tie against the Ukraine. The first game was goalless at OAKA in Athens. From here, many believed the more-fancied Ukrainians were the favourites, with the next leg to be held at the Donbass Arena in Donetsk. However, on a rain-soaked night, passion and determination prevailed and it was another night in which the Ethniki created history in a highly successful decade for Greek football.

These two traits of passion and determination was what the Ethniki under German Otto Rehhagel was known for. The breakthrough came just after the half hour mark. Panathinaikos forward Dimitris Salpingidis was the hero, as he latched onto a perfectly weighted pass from Georgios Samaras of Celtic, which split the defence in beautiful fashion. Salpingidis managed to get in between the two Ukrainian centre backs, breaking the offside trap in the process, and squeezed it past the oncoming goalkeeper with his left foot.

The players celebrated but given experience was rife throughout the squad, it was not over the top as they knew they had to defend stoutly for the remaining hour. There were some nervy moments, but in the grand scheme of things, a Ukrainian team featuring superstar Andriy Shevchenko never looked like scoring the two goals they needed to progress to South Africa. Come the final whistle, an outpour of emotion was on show. Salpingidis had slumped to the ground in tears as it begun to sink what he had just done. The team huddled in a circle all as one, displaying the togetherness that got us over the line. Euro 2004

It was not a fancy game by any means, as defensive organisation prevailed, but it was a landmark achievement for Greek football and the young generation of fans now had the chance to see the Ethniki at a World Cup for the first time. For me personally, not seeing the team in the 2002 and 2006 World Cup finals was hard to take and it was an experience that will never be forgotten. Even though we did not progress to the last 16, Salpingidis was at it again in South Africa. Creating history as the first ever Greek to score at a World Cup.

You cannot help but think the Ethniki was at a crossroads at the time, with Rehhagel coming under deserved criticism for his tactics and call ups, but it did pave the way for a successful period after his departure. Making the knockout stages of Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup were great results and you cannot help but think that night in Donestk was the turning point in our fortunes.

By Nick Tsambouniaris for Hellas Football