Greece 0-3 Denmark: These are the games you must win.

 Greece 0-3 Denmark: These are the games you must win.

By Alec McQuarrie

At the very least, these are the games you must not lose.

In years gone by, hope would replace expectation. But Greece are a different prospect these days and Piraeus expects. In Euro 2024 qualifying, a 1-0 home loss to the Dutch all but confirmed the Ethniki would be forced to circumnavigate via the play-offs, and we all know how that ended.

But if Greece are a different prospect to their previous incarnations, Denmark are most certainly a different prospect to Belarus.

The first thing to note is that Denmark are big, and I mean BIG. They could be the biggest gang of grocks you’ve ever laid eyes on. Aside from Mikkel Damsgaard - who at 1.8m isn’t exactly a hobbit mind you - every single one of them is 1.85m (6’1”) or above. For context, Greece had seven players in their starting line-up shorter than that. If it wasn’t already patently clear beforehand, this was going to be a physical battle.

The second thing to note is that Denmark are old. While Greece started with seven players under the age of 24, the visitors only had two. So it was set up as a classic battle of old and big versus young and small. Were wily Greece going to run rings around these ancient Nordic giants or would experience and size prove just too much?

The third thing to note is that Denmark are, and always have been, a serious football team. The Danes were present at the last four major tournaments, and you better believe they expect to be at the next one. They have reached the European Championship semi-finals on four separate occasions, and yes, they have lifted the trophy too. The only nations to beat them in their last 19 matches? Germany, Spain and Portugal. Greece have defeated them just once since 1980.

The opening stages are subtly promising. Greece are full of energy and bite, but the killer pass is lacking. And Denmark have their moments too. Any latent complacency after the demolition of Belarus quickly crumbles. This is going to be a grind.

As it progresses, the visitors clamber into a position of control. Greece certainly don’t help themselves by conceding possession in embarrassingly vulnerable positions. And eventually, all their slick, slide-rule passing and dull territorial dominance pays off. Dimitrios Kourbelis is the latest offender to offer up the ball just outside the area and Damsgaard - one of the only Danes to show any sort of dynamic verve - powers a thunderbolt beyond Konstantinos Tzolakis.

And instead of shocking them into life, the hosts are lucky to get to the break at 1-0. After the opener, Tzolakis is forced into action three times while Kasper Schmeichel is left completely unperturbed. Kostas Karetsas is one of the only players on the pitch seeming capable of producing a flash of wizardry, but in terms of how to get the ball to the teenager in a threatening position, Greece are stumped. Direct deliveries into Vangelis Pavlidis are not sticking, the passing from midfield is sloppy at best, and how are you supposed to get the ball off Denmark anyway?

Ivan Jovanovic’s answer sees youth make way for experience, Giorgos Masouras and Tasos Bakasetas replacing Karetsas and Giannis Konstantelias. I can sense the groans and complaints from supporters, but the changes make some sense, theoretically at least. Greece were naïve, lightweight and slack in the first half; the introductions are anything but.

And just when it seems as if the substitutions have made a meaningful difference, Greece shoot themselves in the foot. Okay, granted, you don’t expect centre-half Andreas Christensen to curl it into the far corner from the edge of the area, but you definitely shouldn’t give him the opportunity to try it out. Christos Zafeiris lets him wander by, Masouras isn’t quick enough to get back and Konstantinos Mavropanos is stood still as a statue. Game over.

The response is tepid and uninspiring. Denmark are even harder to knock off the ball, and even when they get it back, Greece struggle to force Schmeichel into a save. Even finding a shooting opportunity becomes a chore and it takes a 79th-minute corner to finally warm the gloves of the Danish keeper.

Then Greece lose their heads. Tzolakis fancies an adventure and Mavropanos, who plays Patrick Dorgu onside, can’t stretch to divert the ball from rebounding off the post and into the path of Rasmus Hojlund. The sequence would be hilarious if it wasn’t so tragic.

And so the decision to take off Karetsas and Konstantelias at half-time is re-analysed as foolish. Results dictate post-match discussions and you would be hard-pressed to manufacture a worse result.

Losing the must-not-lose match is life-threatening, but not fatal. All hope is not lost and Greece have four more matches to make amends.

But now, those four matches are must-wins.

@A_McQuarrie

Hellas Football