What could have been of Mexico 1970

What could have been of Mexico 1970

By Greg Gavalas

As most know too well, Greece qualified for their first FIFA World Cup at the 1994 World Cup which was held in the United States, despite an amazing World Cup that was, Greece endured a nightmare campaign that many don’t like revisiting however it’s incredible to note how poorly Greece’s qualifications campaigns in past campaigns had been so getting to that World Cup alone was an achievement.

Truth be told, previous World Cups were hard campaigns to get into for team’s outside the established regulars, until modern times, it would be just the team that finished first that would qualify and World Cups, from 1934 to 1978 had 16 participants, it was only in 1982 that it became a 24 team tournament before it expanded to 32 in 1998 and the current format. Sadly FIFA have announced the tournament to grow to 48 participates in 2026, a disgraceful decision but that’s a story for another time.

Back to the Ethniki, after a few failed attempts to qualify for the World Cup in the 1950’s and 60’s, for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, Greece was paired in Group 1 with Romania, Switzerland and Portugal, a tough group which epitomizes the challenge of those days.

Greece had very skilful players, home based but creative sparks who played with great attacking flair and some house hold names, the best of them – Panathinaikos and Greek star – Mimis Domazos, the talented midfielder is one of the best Greek players ever, many would say the best all round Greek player, his talent took Panathianikos to the highest level of any Greek club ever – the UEFA Champions League Final (then European Cup) in 1971, so not long after this campaign.

Domazos was joined by some other stars, in goals, Takis Oikonomopoulos, team mates with Mimis at PAO and also played at the European Cup Final. PAOK great Giorgos Koudas, other great forwards included, Dimitris Papaioannou from AEK, Giorgos Sideris from Olympiakos who would captain the team.

With most these players in their prime and a great support cast all was set for Greece’s quest to qualify for Mexico.

Greece first game was against Switzerland in Basel, a 1-0 loss saw the Swiss get the better of the first meeting between the two nations. In Lisbon, Eusebio’s Portugal would beat Romania comfortably 3-0.

Romania would recover well and a 2-0 home win over the Swiss in November 1968, whilst Greece hosted Portugal in December at a packed Kareskaki stadium. It would be a great day for the Ethniki, starting with a helicopter that delivered the match ball.

Portugal took a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute but Greece would equalize in the 33nd minute through Papaioannou from a Sideris assist. Giorgos Dedes would make it 2-1 to Greece just 5 minutes later and 10 minutes later Portugal scored an own goal to make it 3-1.

Sideris would score a nice goal to make it 4-1 before Eusebio scored a consolation goal for the final 4-2. This was Greece’s first game against Portugal and remains Greece’s biggest win over the 2004 rivals.

The result put all four teams in 2 points each after two matches and set up a much anticipated match day three.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpHArUB6dxg

On the 16th of April 1969, Portugal’s horror run continued after been beaten 2-0 at home by Switzerland.

Greece hosted Romania, a team the Galanoleyki team has never beaten. Another full house at the Karaiskaki saw Sideris open the scoring for Greece in the 51st minute, poor goalkeeping would allow Romania to equalize just three minutes later. In a goal rush, Dedes would bang in another Greek goal 6 minutes later and give Greece the lead but poor defending another 6 minutes later allowed Romania to equalise and see the game out at 2-2, this result would prove very important at the end of the campaign.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i84MfJdukaM

Back then it was two points for a win so half way in the campaign the points looked like this,

Switzerland – 4 points

Greece – 3 points

Romania – 3 points

Portugal – 2 points

Matchday 4 took kicked off on the 4th of May 1969 in Porto, where Portugal hosted Greece. A small crowd saw Greece take an unexpected 2-0 lead. Vasilios Botinos opened the scoring in the 68th minute and Konstandinos Eleftherakis doubled the score in the 74th minute, again would have made a huge difference if Greece could have held on for a win however, Portugal would score two goals in 4 minutes to tie the game at 2-2 which would be the final score.

Ten days later Romania would record a monumental win in Lausanne over the Swiss thanks to an own goal and the two points would out Romania on top of the group by one points from the Greeks and the Swiss.

With just two match days to go, every match meant everything in October of ’69. Romania would host Portugal and Greece hosted the Swiss in Thessaloniki.

Romania played first in front of 80,000 fans beat Portugal 1-0 knocking the Portuguese out of contention.

Three days later, in front of packed Kaftanzoglio Stadium that held 52,000 fans back then, the Ethniki played the biggest game in Greece history at the time.

Greek came out of the blocks hungry and after several chances were wasted, PAOK legend, Giorgos Koudas opened the scoring in the 33rd minute which took away much anxiety from fans, staff and players.

Vasilios Botinos, an player with an amazing scoring record at Olympiakos, doubled the scoring six minutes later and only four minutes later, team mate, Giorgos Sideris made it 3-0 from close range and the Ethniki was flying in what would be Greece’s biggest ever win over the Swiss.

Botinos would make it 4-0 in the 49th minute and set up a show down on the last match day with Romania.

Interesting to note in regards to Switzerland, the Swiss would go on down the years to really get the better of the Priatiko, since this campaign to today, the only other time we have beaten the Swiss in 14 games would be the 1-0 win in Crete before Euro 2004 thanks to a Vasilis Tsiartas goal.

So with Romania and Greece winning, it came down to a do or die match with the Romanians in on the 16th of November 1969.

90,000 fans packed the National Stadium in Bucharest and the situation was simple, Romania needed to simply not lose the game and they will qualify, Greece needed to win as they were on 6 points to Romania’s 7.

Both teams were virtually at full strength so it was not going to be easy as Romania looked to get back in a World Cup for the first time since 1938 and they started well when Emeric Dembrovschi opened the scoring in the 37th minute and broke millions of Greek hearts who were listening to the game over the radio and on TV.

Greece would then take the game to the home team and started to dominate, early in the second half Domazos would score for Greece to make the game 1-1 and Greece would throw everything at Romania to get the winner, Botinos was brought on as was Dedes but the winning goal that would get the team a ticket to the World Cup in Mexico the next year would not come.

At full time the Romanias celebrated as the Greeks fell to the floor in anguish to what would be one goal short of history been written for Greek Football.

Sadly, the Olympiakos winger, Botinos, this would be his last game for Greece after an serious leg injury occurred only weeks later, with 120 goals in 140 matches at Karaiskaki and 3 goals in just 12 matches for Greece won wonders what would have been.

Amazingly this is the closest Greece would go qualifying for a World Cup until the 1994 World Cup, only in the campaign for the 1978 World Cup in Argentina would Greece do respectfully well and get somewhat close to qualifying, every other campaign until the USA campaign were rather disappointing.

One can only wonder what would have been of Greece in Mexico 1970 which for many was the best World Cup in their memories.

Long time Ethniki fan and recalling the 1970 campaign, Kostas Mandoukos from Kos, recalls the following

“This team was one of the best teams that had passed by. They didn’t have the likes of a big time coach to lead them but we had great players.

“If these players existed today they would be worth millions, guys like Domazos, Loukanidis, Eleftherakis, Sideris, Yutsos, Papaioanou and Koudas, these players were of amazing calibre.

“As individuals, Greece has not produced players like this in the future. Their mentality was strong and positive. They has the hunger to go out there in each game and make the most of it, and this campaign plays testament to that.”

Hellas Football 

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