SPORTS> Off the Pitch
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SPORTS> Off the Pitch
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Greece hurt by World Cup exit, eye Euro 2008
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-05-31 17:26 Greece, 2004 European champions, are heartbroken not to feature at the World Cup finals, having failed to go through after a lacklustre qualifying campaign. But they say they are already drawing up their battle plans for the European championship qualifiers starting in September, leaving as little as possible to chance and determined to defend their crown in Austria and Switzerland in 2008. "Our heart is bleeding by the fact that we are not in Germany, we are saddened not to have gone through," said coach Otto Rehhagel, who wanted to make a triumphant return to his home country as Greece coach. "But we are carefully planning our work for September which is very near," he said in Australia ahead of a friendly match with the Socceroos. "This friendly is the start of preparations for 2008." For decades, Greece languished in the mediocrity of European soccer until stunning the world with their surprise victory at the 2004 European championships in Portugal. Beating the hosts twice, as well as France and the Czech Republic in the quarterfinal and the seminfinal, unfancied Greece became the first team in a major tournament to go through three knock-out rounds without conceding a goal. |
