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Giant-killer Greece stun France to reach semis
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-06-26 10:21 Determined Greece stunned the defending champions
France with a 1-0 victory in the quarter- finals of the European soccer
championship in Lisbon on Friday.
Angelos Charisteas sent Greece into rapture with a 65th minute header to
finish off a fine cross from Greece skipper Theogoros Zagorakis.
Angelos Charisteas
celebrates scoring the only goal of the game.
[AFP] | Flicking the ball over defender Bixente
Lizarazu, the Greece playmaker Zagorakis stormed down the right and sent a
curling cross to the unmarked Charisteas, who headed home into the top
right-hand corner.
Goalscorer Charisteas was inspired with their performance. " Tonight we
really showed what we can do, " said Charisteas. "We played the best team in the
world, and we beat them. "
"We've shown Greece deserves to be exactly where it is. This had nothing to
do with luck. Now we have to calm down and see what the stage brings. We've made
it here - now everything is possible. "
"We have a very good team and, for me, our qualification for the semi-finals
is the greatest moment in Greek football history, " added he.
France captain Zinedine Zidane had nothing but a yellow card from the match
when the Real Madrid midfielder tackled down Georgios Karagounis from behind
just before the match.
Greece were lively and keen to work hard for the whole match as they almost
outplayed France in the first half. The Greek eleven came close to taking a lead
on 15 minutes when Konstantinos Katsouranis steered a Karagounis's free-kick
towards French goalkeeper Barthez, who blocked the ball on the goalline with a
little help from his post.
"We were just rushing forwards, and that was not the best way to go about it.
It's a big disappointment. We had hoped to get to the final, " said France's
head coach Jacques Santini.
"Greece deserved to score in the first half, but in the second half it was
the other way around.
"There was too much wasted technique, and at the end of the game we lacked
lucidity. We came up against a very tightly-knit defence. "
France came out strong in the second period and threatened with several
chances, especially a late Thierry Henry header but Greece held firm until the
65th minute when their counter-attack finished in a 1-0 lead.
In the later match, the title holders looked shiftless with the Greek's solid
defense. They failed to level the game before Greece celebrated a place in the
last four.
Greece, who earlier stunned Portugal 2-1 in the opening game, will play the
winner of the match between Czech Republic and Denmark.
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