© EuroFootball.com
In the opening match of the European Championship, a sensation was recorded - the host and one of the tournament favorites Portugal unexpectedly lost to Greece, who had so far been considered an outsider in Group A.
Portugal - Greece 1 - 2 7' [0 - 1] 52' penalty [0 - 2] 90' [1 - 2]
The Greeks unexpectedly started the match actively and already in the first minute Charisteas had a good chance, but failed to hit the ball. In the seventh minute, Paulo Ferreira made a mistake by passing the ball to his opponent Giorgos Karagounis, who slightly lost the ball forward and shot accurately into the goal from 17 meters away.
Portugal could not find their game, while the Greeks continued to create dangerous attacks. However, little by little the hosts recovered, but failed to take advantage of good opportunities like Rui Costa, whose header missed the goal. Portugal began to press the opponents more, but the first half ended that way.
During the break, Luis Felipe Scolari made two changes - Cristiano Ronaldo came on instead of Simao, and Deco replaced Rui Costa.
In the 51st minute, Seitaridis broke into the penalty area, was brought down by Ronaldo, and Collina promptly awarded a penalty kick, which was calmly converted by Basinas. Despite the shocking result, the hosts did not give up and continuously launched dangerous attacks, especially through the left flank where Ronaldo played. But the Greeks defended well and successfully repelled the opponent's attacks.
In the 79th minute, Deco entered the penalty area, but his shot was inaccurate. Four minutes later, a shot by Ronaldo in the penalty area was blocked by the Greek defender, and the ball flew wide of the post. In the 86th minute, Nikopolidis deflected Nuno Gomes's shot perfectly.
The Greeks were completely pressed towards their goal, and when it seemed like the match was over, in added time following a corner kick Ronaldo scored a consolation goal with his head. However, there was no more time to create anything dangerous.
Karagounis, who scored the first goal in these sensational matches, said: "We came to this football fiesta without any similar experience, but without any stress. The nervousness of the Portuguese players was evident, as they played in front of their home crowd. We did everything we could and now we can celebrate Greece's first victory in the history of the European Championships. It's a great day for Greek football. However, these three points do not guarantee our place in the quarterfinals. So we need to stay focused, as on Wednesday we have a very important match against Spain."
The Greek coach after the match said that his selected tactics had paid off: "The strategy and tactics we chose were completely successful. Tonight we will rest well and, of course, we will focus on the next match against Spain. In Greece, there have always been great individual players, but this year we also have a good and very well-balanced team. We all work towards one goal."
