Midfielder Georgios Karagounis says failing to reach the
2006 FIFA World Cup has made European title-holders Greece "more
determined than ever to do well" at UEFA EURO 2008T.
Dramatic success
Having achieved one of the most dramatic successes in European football
history by beating hosts Portugal 1-0 in the final of UEFA EURO 2004T,
Greece came unstuck in their World Cup qualifying campaign, finishing
fourth in their group. "It got to us that we didn't qualify for Germany
2006," Karagounis told uefa.com. "Perhaps it did us good even,
because now we're more determined than ever to do well."
Defeat by Turkey
UEFA EURO 2008T qualification provided an excellent opportunity to restore
pride, with an even-looking Group C including Turkey and Norway. Otto
Rehhagel's men started well, with wins in their first three games, before
coming unstuck against their neighbours in Athens. Sotirios Kyrgiakos
gave Greece a fifth-minute lead but Turkey roared back into the contest,
going on to inflict a humiliating 4-1 defeat on the continental champions.
'Very upset'
If criticism had been muted following the World Cup failure, there were
no holding back after the Turkey reverse. Rehhagel, 69, was slated for
not having retired already and for relying on an ageing squad. However,
the curious effect of that result was to prompt a shaky spell for Turkey,
and to prove a wake-up call for Greece. Midfielder Stelios Giannakopoulos
said: "We were very upset. We were criticised and that made us more
determined."
Greek record
Greece dropped just two more points in their remaining eight qualifiers,
drawing 2-2 in Norway, and finished with 31 points - the highest total
of any national team. And if the campaign saw stalwarts such as captain
Theodoros Zagorakis, Demis Nikolaidis and Vassilios Tsiartas retire, the
younger Kyrgiakos, Vassilis Torosidis, Christos Patsatzoglou, Ioannis
Amanatidis, Theofanis Gekas and Nikolaos Liberopoulos have all become
pivotal performers.
Winning formula
While the personnel has changed, according to Karagounis, the formula
remains the same. "Our chief quality is our team spirit," he
said. "We are not a spectacular side, we don't play like Brazil,
but our team spirit is exceptional." Creating that togetherness has
been Rehhagel's greatest achievement as Greece coach. Defender Ioannis
Goumas said: "He is like a psychologist. He always lifts our confidence.
A player may be giving mediocre performances for his club, but in the
national team he gets transformed - he improves."
