And then there were four. Portugal, Spain, Italy and Germany into the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 and who could really begrudge any of them a place? They’ve been the best teams at the tournament and are fully deserving of their berths. Greece, predictably, were dispatched by a slick German outfit and joined Czech Republic on their way out, followed by France and England.

Unlike our last two exits from major tournaments, there must be a real sense of pride, optimism and satisfaction in every Greek fan and citizen. Over the last couple of weeks, football seemed to transcend social boundaries and really touch people who so desperately needed a tonic for their ills. Its finest moment was the remarkable 1-0 win over Russia, a mini-miracle that lifted spirits temporarily in a country afflicted by financial crisis.

This was a tournament where, crucially, Greece walked away with their reputation enhanced. It’s a stark contrast to the vitriol directed at the national team when it went for archaic catenaccio at Euro 2008, picking up no points and giving eager critics plenty of ammunition. Negative was the operative word back then.

Spirit is what seems to define this team in the eyes of neutrals now.

Whilst it is not a positive that Greece’s first-half performances were consistently poor, the second-half fight-backs were remarkable and inspiring. Even against Germany, a team who were of a different pedigree and class, there was for a fleeting moment the suggestion of a miracle. Fernando Santos’ side couldn’t have spent more than few cumulative minutes in Die Mannschaft’s half.

But somehow they managed to equalise, to rally, to show endeavour in the face of far superior opposition and what seemed certain defeat. For a few minutes, Georgios Samaras’ goal allowed us to dream and gave us the glorious image of an ashen-faced Angela Merkel alongside a delirious Greek contingent.

Deservedly sent home and thoroughly outplayed? Sure. But this was a performance and a campaign to be utterly proud of. Four goals shipped in a quarter-final is nothing to envy but taking the fight to a German team that could well knock a great Spanish side off their perch certainly is. Scoring two goals against them is certainly an achievement not to be dismissed.

Seeing this Greek side described as “sorry” in a headline for the ESPN match report doesn’t rankle as much as it could. After all, we have been given plenty of moments over which the replay buttons on YouTube videos will be exhausted in years to come. To watch nations of the ilk of England and France imitate the style that brought Greece their stunning success in Portugal eight years ago only to then see certain members of their press criticise the approach Santos’ men took against Germany is thick with irony. Quite frankly I pay no attention to it.

To see this Greece team also take a more cavalier approach was refreshing. They can hardly be accused of being ultra-defensive or relying on set-pieces, instead exhibiting a willingness to commit bodies forward, even when faced with a number of hurdles. From red cards and suspensions, to disallowed goals and injuries, the football Gods have conspired against this team time and time again.

Diego Maradona quipped before the Germany match that if 300 Spartans could defend Thermopylae then 11 Greeks could hold out against Joachim Low’s side. Incorrect though he was, such a comparison fits well with this particular squad of players, who permanently had their backs to the wall but refused to give in.

The Moment: Georgios Samaras’ goal against Germany. We won the battle and lost the war but the mix of disbelief and ecstasy that greeted the equaliser will linger long in my memory.

The Goal: As above. Of all of the goals Greece scored it was the classiest, most well-constructed. From showing desire to win the ball off a team that rarely loses it to Giorgos Fotakis’ delightful release of Dimitris Salpingidis down the line to his world-class assist and the determination of Samaras to apply the finish, this was a goal that had everything and encapsulated Greece’s outstanding campaign.

The Player: Dimitris Salpingidis. Consistently this team’s biggest threat and deserving of a big contract this summer, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him plying his trade in England when the season kicks off again. He scored two goals, including the crucial equaliser against Poland. He also won a penalty in that game and helped change the mentality of this squad for the remainder of the tournament. Oozed class. Special mentions to Kyriakos Papadopoulos and Samaras.

The Manager: Santos passed his first true international test with flying colours. He wasn’t perfect in his tactical approach but was outstanding in his willingness to constantly correct himself and turn games around at half-time. Not afraid to give young players a chance and encouraged flowing, attacking football relative to the resources at his disposal.

The Departed: Kostas Chalkias and Nikos Lyberopoulos have ended their association with the national team. They emotionally bade farewell to the team after the Germany game, where Santos apparently said nothing. Lyberopoulos in particular is a legend who has made crucial contributions throughout his international career. He was given 20 minutes against the Germans in a nice gesture by his manager.

The Future: Bright. Kyriakos Papadopoulos, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Michalis Sifakis, Vasilis Torosidis, Georgios Samaras, Kostas Fortounis and Sotiris Ninis will lead their country to Brazil. Other young talents could join them over the next few months under a manager who has proved himself astute and progressive.

So this will likely be my last blog entry for these championships and I must say it has been a pleasure. A big thanks to anyone who stumbled across this page. I sincerely hope you were entertained or informed in some way. Feel free to drop me a line at chris.paraskevas@gmail.com, at my Twitter page @Cparaskevas or at Football Hellas (www.footballhellas.com).

Bring on Brazil!

Where were we on Saturday evening? Lisbon? Porto? This was a performance that transported us Greeks back to eight years ago, during happier times both on and off the pitch. The spirit that characterized that famous victory was well and truly alive and these players have written themselves – along with their Portuguese manager Fernando Santos – into folklore.

But this wasn't the Estadio da Luz or the Estadio do Dragao.

This was the Miracle of Warsaw.

It was a bail-out of epic proportions (had to get the financial pun out of the way early), a result that was nothing short of miraculous and one that will temporarily at least lift spirits in a country that needed some sort of tonic for its economic and socio-political ills.

In the face of every obstacle conceivable thrown at this team by officials who seemed more like undercover IMF agents rather than UEFA employees, desperate to impede an already limited side, this was a victory to savour. These underdogs were written off, apparently doomed after two sluggish performances against sides that were not of the pedigree of their final group opponents.

I’ve mentioned in this blog before that we Greeks only seem to produce our best with our backs to the wall. Ahead of this game I simply couldn’t foresee anything other than a heavy defeat at the hands of the tournament’s form player in Alan Dzagoev and his supporting cast of mobile, technically gifted teammates.

Just where did this performance come from? So reminiscent was it of Euro 2004 that for a fleeting moment I thought I saw Angelos Charisteas and Traianos Dellas on the pitch; alas it was a new generation of heroes imitating their predecessors, Georgios Samaras and Kyriakos Papadopoulos imperious.

For those who had suffered through Euro 2008 and South Africa 2010, this was a long time overdue, a genuinely deserved victory built on togetherness, organization and passion. Watching the substitutes celebrate on the bench when the goal went in, it became apparent just how much these 23 players and their coaching staff cared – it’s not often we’ve been able to say that at major tournaments and it means a lot to fans.

There was no evidence of the ego and there was a sense that fan and player were in this together; perhaps I’m romanticizing a little but this was football close to its pure form in an era where it is sometimes difficult to identify with inflated wages and the self-importance of individuals who appear to live in bubbles.

But these Greek players weren’t all sheltered from troubles at home, many playing at clubs who have been unable to pay them in recent times. I’m not for a minute suggesting they are suffering as their fellow citizens are but they’ll certainly have at least a faint idea of what they are going through. Perhaps that counted for something and the talk of giving people something to cheer about wasn’t just rhetoric.

Much as Russia were abysmal and clearly ran out of steam, either fatigued or overconfident – perhaps a little of both – following their thumping win over the Czechs, Greece had to earn this victory. Even when ahead luck deserted them, Giorgos Karagounis booked and now suspended after being denied what seemed a clear penalty, while the frame of the goal conspired to deny Georgios Tzavellas a famous goal.

In fact, this was hardly a performance to fit the anti-football stereotype that has followed this country around since Portugal. A first half of containment was ended with a goal that showed Greece’s endeavour was only overshadowed by their defensive organization, Karagounis driving into the box with purpose and only one thing on his mind – this was an evening when a notoriously conservative side chanced its arm.

If there was one player who epitomized how this team was so suddenly transformed it was certainly Georgios Samaras, maligned for his inconsistency by Greek fans as much as he is by their Celtic equivalents. Finally he delivered the sort of talismanic performance of which he is capable, at times single-handedly holding off packs of Russian defenders, the focal point in attack and a crucial contributor in defence. All that was missing was a goal to cap off one of the finest individual displays at Euro 2012.

There were other memorable performances: Karagounis winding back the years, Kyriakos Papadopoulos and Sokratis Papastathopoulos towers of strength, Vasilis Torosidis dominating the right flank and Michalis Sifakis a figure of calm between the sticks. Fernando Santos meanwhile saw his tactical vision for this Greek team come to fruition: compact defensively, mobile in attack and quick to transition from defence to midfield and then the final third.

It’s a surreal feeling. Are we really about to take on Germany in the quarter-finals of the European Championships? Wasn’t this the team that meekly surrendered to the Czech Republic only days ago and was on the brink of an early exit?

No. This was the team that went through qualifying undefeated, that beat Croatia 2-0 at home and kept them scoreless on the road, that boasts one of world football’s most miserly defences and is one of its most difficult to beat and dispirit.

We were just waiting for them to show up. It's only taken eight years...

PS. Commiserations to fellow blogger Michael Yokhin, who provided much banter over the past few days and who's latest entry is a fantastic read. Make sure you check out his blog here before you go.

My apologies to the legions of fans of this blog who were disappointed by the lack of an update after Greece’s latest in a long line of major tournament debacles. As a result of a few non-Euro 2012 related study commitments (how dare my university set exams during the sacred football month of June), I’m caught in a bit of a no-man’s land, unable to dedicate an entire piece to the post-mortem of the 2-1 loss to the Czech Republic on the eve of what is probably our final appearance at these finals against Russia.

So unsurprisingly frustrating was the last performance that it warrants some type of analysis, so in the interests of covering all bases, I’ll turn to what I consider to be the greatest film of all time as providing the framework for this piece.

The Bad

Greece need to beat Russia to progress.

This is the nightmare scenario we feared before the competition began and it has come to fruition: the Russians with everything to play for, by no means assured of their place in the next round and approaching the match in good form. WRONG

This is the nightmare scenario we feared before the competition began and it has come to fruition: Greece will need to score a goal in their final group game.

A harsh assessment? Consider that the two goals we’ve scored in Poland have come courtesy of goalkeeping blunders, presenting our strikers with an empty net to slot the ball into – in truth, on neither occasion was I remotely confident that they would actually succeed, given this team’s lack of attacking confidence and ideas.

Despite again improving after the break, this Greek side proved utterly devoid of hunger, creativity and adventure in attack. Is it a coaching issue or simply a case of the players not being good or willing enough to score goals? I’m going to say the latter, though the managerial post-mortem I’ll leave till after our participation in the tournament has concluded (so make sure you’re at this page on Sunday).

Taking the initiative and winning games is something this squad hasn’t done well over the past decade and to suddenly try to do so against a team that is lethal on the counter-attack and extremely mobile would be suicidal. So it’ll probably me more of the same from Fernando Santos’ men, who will look to keep things tight and pinch a goal at some point – not that it’s worked for them particularly well so far against sides of far lesser ability.

So, just to recap, the scenario is as follows: a team that doesn’t know how to attack needs to attack a team that operates exclusively and successfully on the counter-attack (and they only need to draw to progress).

The Ugly

After almost being punished for a slow start in their opening game against Poland, the Greeks recovered and learned from their mistake, starting strongly against Czech Republic side who were always likely to come out firing after their 4-1 defeat. WRONG

After almost being punished for a slow start in their opening game against Poland, the Greeks did exactly the same thing in their second game and were punished even more severely by a Czech Republic side who were always likely to come out firing after their 4-1 defeat.

This side has its limitations, so defeat in either, both, or all three of its matches at the group stages of Euro 2012 would hardly have come as a shock. A slow start against Poland is also forgivable given it does happen in football, understandable also because of the scale of the occasion and the fact that the opposing team were the host nation. But to do it a second time, just days after, in a far worse manner and against a team who were always going to replicate the approach of the Poles, is simply unacceptable.

Were these players not expecting anything different? If they weren’t, then the question has to be asked: were they aware that a football game was underway somewhere in Wroclaw while they were cruising through the opening half? (Just to clarify, there was a Euro 2012 game in Wroclaw at that exact time between Greece and the Czech Republic...)

Even with Fernando Santos’ changes at half time, the performance was only fractionally improved in the second half, thanks largely to the Czechs taking their foot off the gas and losing Tomas Rosicky to injury. A lack of creativity is nothing new for this team and going for a direct route to goal was always going to be the result. What is particularly galling about that approach though is the sheer lack of intensity, conviction and desire behind it, with nowhere near enough players committing themselves forward or looking as if they wanted the ball in order to change the game.

The Good

Despite the largely turgid performance, somehow Greece enter their final group game with their destiny entirely in their hands.

A victory would ensure them a place in the knockout stages regardless of other results and if they were to perform a miracle and beat the Russians – make no mistake about it, it would be nothing short of a miracle if it happened – then Theofanis Gekas’ goal against the Czechs will be of a similar significance to that scored by Zisis Vryzas against Russia in 2004.

When you consider Italy - who have been placed in a far tougher group and performed better than Greece, picking up two points from games against Spain and Croatia – might still be heading home if they win their final match against Ireland, it really is amazing that Greece are in such a position.

Further boosts for Santos include the return of first-choice centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos, who will allow Kostas Katsouranis – whose aimless punts into the box reminded me of why I have directed so much vitriol towards him before his improved performance against Poland - to return to midfield, bringing a little more balance to the side. Kostas Chalkias meanwhile has been ruled out through injury in a blessing that can barely be disguised after he cost his side at least two goals in its opening two games, allowing for the far more steady Michalis Sifakis to take his place between the sticks.

Logic tells me Russia will win this match by a comfortable margin but Dick Advocaat’s side certainly aren’t invincible, as they showed the other night as they were held to a 1-1 draw by the hosts.

Is it too much to hope that this team can rouse itself for just 90 minutes and summon up the backs-to-the-wall mentality that has kept it alive in the tournament thus far?

We Greece fans are long overdue a miracle...

It’s only in the aftermath of the first round of group games at Euro 2012 that you can truly appreciate the value of the Greece’s point against Poland. I write this entry just a couple of hours before England take on France to kick off their campaign, so I wonder if either of those sides will be on the brink of elimination after just 90 minutes, just as the Netherlands and Portugal seem to be.

Needlessly to say, these teams have at their disposal a talent pool that is of a different football universe to Greece (but seeing as how we apparently invented the Universe and everything in it, I guess it doesn't really matter all that much...).

Yet despite boasting two of the world’s biggest celestial football bodies in their respective starting line-ups in the form of Robin Van Persie and Cristiano Ronaldo, both are in a far more precarious position than Fernando Santos’ side at this early stage of the tournament.

Granted, the opposition they faced was of a higher calibre than that of Poland, though you can’t discount the impact of a home crowd who’s support Franciszek Smuda’s capitalized on during a blistering opening 45 minutes. Greece had one mission: to survive, which they did thanks to a combination of poor finishing, inspired coaching and retrospectively, a refereeing error that helped more than hindered them.

So while the Dutch and the Portuguese squads face departures that would not be well received back in their homelands after just two games, the Greeks are perhaps slight favourites to pip the Czechs and Poland to second spot. To further put the achievement into context, Greece have suffered defeat in their first match at every major tournament in which they’ve competed, with the exception of Euro 2004. Meekly surrendering three points to Sweden in 2008 and then allowing the Korea Republic to take advantage of their infighting in 2010 were deflating occasions for fans after much anticipation in the build-up.

Despite the potential ramifications of Giorgos Karagounis’ penalty miss, the situation could be far worse considering the opening 45 minutes of the Poland game was frighteningly reminiscent of our start to the previous Euro and World Cup.

It’s an almost awkward feeling heading into the second game against the Czech Republic, seeing as how their plight is more like that of previous Greek teams. Momentum is undoubtedly with Santos and his players but there are interesting dilemmas for the Portuguese manager on the eve of kick-off.

The first is whether he seizes the initiative against a team who’s confidence will be in tatters following their mauling at the hands of a slick Russia. I personally saw the game against the Czechs as the most winnable given Greece’s recent slow starts at finals and the fact that Poland would come out fired up in the opener. However, if Dick Advocaat’s men rip through the hosts – and they very well could – that would render their final match virtually meaningless and it’s unlikely the Dutch tactician would risk his best players on the eve of the knockout stages.

A weakened Russia are a beatable Russia, with this team still just a shadow of the Arshavin-inspired machine that reached the semi-finals of Euro 2008. Santos might just be willing to settle for a point in this game whilst banking on Poland to lose their second match. It might seem overly pragmatic to rely on other results for your own progress but considering how injuries and suspension have deprived Greece of key personnel, regroup and regather wouldn’t be a bad mentality against the Czechs.

While Santos won’t play for a draw, he’ll certainly reprise his defence first, attack second approach and look to hurt Tomas Rosicky and friends on the counter-attack in the same fashion that Russia did. If Greece are to keep things tight at the back then they’ll need to seriously consider the make up of their defence and midfield with Sokratis Papastathopoulos suspended and Avraam Papadopoulos out of the tournament through an injury he picked up in the first half against the Poles.

Those are two starting centre-backs who were at the heart of Greece’s miserly defence during qualifying. Kyriakos Papadopoulos and Kostas Katsouranis were the makeshift pairing during the second half of the opening fixture and did a superb job shackling the dangerous Robert Lewandowski, so it would seem the problem has been solved for Santos; Papadopoulos’ youthful exuberance gave Greece an increased mobility and aggression at the back, while Katsouranis relocation from midfield to defence improved both departments and saw him turn in his best performance for the national team in years.

However, an eventful Greek campaign took another twist with the news that Georgios Fotakis suffered a thigh injury at training.

It’s amazing to think that before the tournament began, the PAOK man would have been considered nothing more than a fringe player who might come off the bench. Yet his potential absence could change the entire dynamic of Santos’ side; Fotakis could potentially have taken Katsouranis’ place in midfield with the latter allowed to remain in defence. Instead, his injury may necessitate a gamble on the inexperienced Grigoris Makos of AEK – who before the start of Euro 2012 was beneath even Fotakis in the midfield pecking order – or on Stelios Malezas, the squad’s fifth-choice centre-back if you consider Katsouranis a potential defender.

Whatever the scenario, it seemingly is a case of the lesser of evils when you consider Katsouranis moving back into the centre of the park to accommodate for Malezas would deprive both departments.

Jose Holebas’ poor performance at left-back could bring further change at the back, with the rather more steady Georgios Tzavellas only beaten to a starting spot because his club form this season wasn’t as impressive as that of the Olympiacos man. With the Theodor Gebre Selassie set to be marauding down the right flank for the Czechs, can another chance be afforded to Holebas? It might seem harsh to axe the German-born Greek after just one match but these are the sort of snap decisions that can turn things around in tournament football.

Equally important changes will also need to be made in attack, where Sotiris Ninis flattered to deceive after being handed a start. Theofanis Gekas too was ineffective, while their replacements Kostas Fortounis and Dimitris Salpingidis exerted considerable influence on the match, the latter scoring the equalizer and winning a penalty. Will Georgios Samaras be replaced by Fortounis after a typically frustrating display against Poland to make way for teenager Fortounis, or will he be given a central berth with Gekas the man to make way?

Even goalkeeper Kostas Chalkias’ position is not safe after his rash decision to rush out presented Lewandowski with an open net and served as a reminder of his error-prone ways.

A squad that has based its modern success on stability will instead need a bit of ingenuity on the part of its manager if it is to progress further in this tournament. And while there are considerable problems Santos needs to solve against the Czech Republic, the reward will be greater than that offered to Greece after the second game at previous finals, which makes this a rather more satisfying dilemma for manager, player and fan alike.

Break out the Euro 2004 highlights DVD, load up the Helakis Youtube videos and put on those Spartan helmets – even if like most people who wear them you have no ancestral connection to Leonidas’ home – because it’s time for a severe injection of delusional optimism and borderline nationalistic flag-waving pride ahead of Greece’s opening Euro 2012 game.

Anyone unfortunate enough to be familiar with my writing will know that I am considered when it comes to analysis of Greek football, always keen to lower expectation and paint a picture of the national team as it is post-Euro 2004: lacking in creativity, highly functional and constantly over-performing.

But I wouldn’t be a true fan if I didn’t allow myself to occasionally get carried away, to dream of the impossible (in this case, Greece managing more than a shot on goal across 90 minutes) and to allow myself a surge of excitement on-par with that felt by a comic book fan-boy who has just got his hands on the latest bootlegged Dark Knight Rises set photo - just to be clear, I am not a fan-boy and have something approaching a social life (best not to think about my ESPN FC profile picture when reading that last line).

On the eve of kick-off against Poland, I can tangibly feel the anxiety. This is the sort of moment that Greek football fans of my generation simply need to be appreciative of, something that we take for granted at times, forgetting the fact that this country was once a football basket case. It’s moments of anticipation like this that we celebrate qualifying for major international tournaments – and this is the third consecutive European Championship we are about to compete in.

Third consecutive.

Greece.

European Championship.

Let that sink in for a moment.

I could sit here and talk about Kostas Chalkias, Greece’s first-choice goalkeeper who reminds me of that old man who releases his arrow too early at Helms Deep (you just know he’s about to choke and he doesn’t disappoint). I could talk about Kostas Katsouranis, a man whose political clout within the dressing room wouldn’t be out of place in the Roman senate and who has contributed nothing on the pitch for his country over the last eight years. But the post-mortem can wait.

Instead I’m going to point out that every single favourite including Spain has a conspicuous defensive weakness at the tournament, while Greece has the most settled backline of any of the 16 teams. I’m going to mention Kyriakos Papadopoulos, Ioannis Fetfatzidis and Sotiris Ninis, three young players with huge futures ahead of them who could have a big impact in Poland if given the right opportunity.

Granted, they probably won’t start the opening game and Fernando Santos will send his eleven players out with instructions to frustrate the hosts and break-up play at every opportunity. Anti-football will be the familiar howl of derision from commentators and neutrals. In case any of them were wondering: no Greek fan will care about the manner of victory.

This is a team that travels to Poland with its back to the wall in a number of ways, with its citizens suffering from economic turmoil at home and its players also feeling the effects, some of whom are at clubs who can’t afford to pay their wages. Greece are also likely to be universally unpopular at the tournament for the style of their football, as well as the absence of any particular star player for fans to identify with. Hopefully the squad rally under such circumstances and produce the sort of gritty, uncompromising team effort that saw it nullify the considerable attacking talents of Croatia during qualifying.

Quite frankly, I couldn’t care less if the watching world has decided that Barcelona’s “tiki-taka” is something every team and player on the planet should aspire to. We are Greece, not Spain. We don’t have the luxury of world-class attacking talent or a world-class national league to develop them in. We will play to our strengths, we will frustrate, we will scrap, we will win set-pieces, we will score from set-pieces and we will put eleven men behind the ball if need be. What’s more, we will be completely, utterly and proudly unapologetic about it all, especially if it succeeds. Kyriakos Papadopoulos' admission that his team are the most boring in Group A is like a war-cry; defiant music to the ears of his countrymen.

Am I suggesting we will approach our opener with the same archaic game plan that was painfully punished by Sweden in 2008? No. Fernando Santos builds teams around a counter-attacking approach and has retained the same system that brought Otto Rehhagel success during his nine-year reign. He is a pragmatist but he does encourage his teams to at least attempt to pass the ball when in possession – however, there will again be an attitude of defend first and attack (with extreme caution) second.

Either way, Greeks everywhere will enjoy the fact that their country has the honour of raising the curtain at football’s second biggest tournament. A point against Poland certainly isn’t out of this side’s reach and would set it up nicely for a winnable second game against a Czech Republic that is a shadow of its former self. Russia definitely represents the most difficult challenge, assuming they haven’t qualified with two wins by that stage. If Greece can start with a win, it will almost certainly get out of the group. This is a team that thrives on confidence, that rarely throws away a lead and that would be perfectly suited to the knockout football that awaits beyond the final group game. Once there - as we discovered eight years ago - it really is anyone’s tournament.