|
|
Euro 2012 History: The 2004 finals
Portuguese hearts were broken on home soil as Greece defied the odds to go all the way to the final, where an Angelos Charisteas header was enough for a near miraculous win
1 Dec 2011 13:10:00
By Graham Lister
Getty Images
| HOST COUNTRY- PORTUGAL |
In 1999 Portugal beat rival bids from Spain and Austria/Hungary (a joint bid) to win the right to host Euro 2004, the 12th European Championship.
The Championship was staged from June 12 to July 4 2004, in 10 different venues located in eight locations: Aveiro (Estadio Municipal de Aveiro), Braga (Estadio Municipal de Braga), Coimbra (Estadio Cidade de Coimbra), Guimaraes (Estadio D. Afonso Henriques), Faro/Loule (Estadio Algarve), Leiria (Estadio Dr. Magalhaes Pessoa), Porto (Estadio do Dragao and Estadio do Bessa Seculo XXI) and Lisbon (Estadio da Luz and Estadio Jose Alvalade).
In the opening ceremony, in tribute to the explorers in Portuguese history, the organisers presented a tableau of a ship sailing through a sea of competing countries’ flags. It has been claimed that this depiction inspired the Greek media and people to nickname their hitherto unfancied team the 'Pirate Ship' because it "stole" the trophy from Europe's elite.
| QUALIFYING |
| IN THE NEWS IN 2004... |
| * South Africa is awarded the 2010 Fifa World Cup * The French National Assembly votes to pass a law banning religious items and clothing from schools * Michael Schumacher wins his 5th consecutive Formula One World Drivers’ Championship, and 7th overall, to become the sport’s most successful driver ever * One of the worst natural disasters in recorded history hits the entire Indian Ocean region: the strongest earthquake for 40 years, generating enormously destructive tsunami waves * Portugal wins silver medals in athletics (Francis Obikwelu – Men’s 100m) and cycling (Sergio Paulinho – Men’s Individual Road Race) at the Athens Olympics |
Defending champions France completed their eight fixtures in Group 1 without dropping a point, scoring 29 goals and only conceding two. Slovenia, the runners-up, were 10 points behind. It was a lot tighter in Group 2, where Denmark finished only one point better off than Romania and runners-up Norway.
Unbeaten Czech Republic won Group 3 ahead of the second-placed Netherlands, whom they beat 3-1 in Prague.
In Group 4 Sweden shaded Latvia by a point, while Group 5 saw undefeated Germany finish top ahead of Scotland.
Greece won Group 6 by a point from Spain, as England took Group 7 without losing but collected only one more point than runners-up Turkey, and in a three-way tussle in Group 8, Bulgaria qualified, Croatia earned a play-off chance and Belgium missed out. Italy finished top and Wales second in Group 9, while Switzerland took pole position in Group 10, leaving Russia to contest the play-offs.
Those play-offs paired Scotland with the Netherlands, the Dutch losing unexpectedly 1-0 in Glasgow but making amends in Amsterdam, where Ruud van Nistelrooy hit a hat-trick in a 6-0 rout. Croatia beat Slovenia 2-1 on aggregate, and the other qualifiers via this route were Spain (5-1 victors against Norway), Russia (1-0 v Wales), and Latvia (3-2 v Turkey).
| FINAL TOURNAMENT |
| TOP SCORERS |
|||
| Milan Baros R van Nistelrooy Wayne Rooney J Dahl Tomasson A Charisteas Frank Lampard Henrik Larsson Zinedine Zidane |
Nation
Czech RepNetherlands England Denmark Greece England Sweden France |
Goals 5 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 |
|
Greece had beaten Portugal 2-1 in the first match of the tournament, though few would have anticipated the same pair contesting the final – that had never happened before. But Portugal recovered to win Group A, while Greece progressed ahead of Spain and Russia.
France got the better of England 2-1 and finished top of Group B unbeaten, but England, inspired by 18-year-old Wayne Rooney, went on to beat Switzerland and Croatia to join Les Bleus in the quarter-finals.
In Group C, three teams finished on five points but Sweden won the group, Denmark came second and low-scoring Italy lost out.
The qualifiers from Group D were Czech Republic, with a perfect record, and the Netherlands. Tournament debutants Latvia came bottom as expected, but the big losers in this group were Germany, who like Latvia failed to win a match.
From the quarter-finals onwards, extra-time ‘Silver Goals’ came into the equation, but with a twist. If a team scored in the first half of extra-time and were still leading at half-time (ie, after 15 minutes), they would win on a 'Silver Goal'. But if there was no score in the first half of extra-time, the full 30 minutes would be played, then a penalty shoot-out if necessary.
The first quarter-final put all this to the test as hosts Portugal eventually ended an compelling showdown with England by beating them 6-5 on penalties, the score being 1-1 after 90 minutes and 2-2 after 120 - both extra-time strikes coming in the second half.
Sweden and the Netherlands also needed penalties after a goalless stalemate; the Dutch advanced 5-4 via the shoot-out. But the Czechs maintained their fine form, beating Denmark 3-0, and Greece again defied the odds, a 65th minute goal from Angelos Charisteas being enough to eliminate France.
The semi-finals saw Portugal overcome the Netherlands 2-1 with goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Maniche; Greece continued their remarkable odyssey when Traianos Dellas headed the 'Silver Goal' that eliminated Czech Republic in added time at the end of the first half of extra-time.
| THE FINAL Portugal 0-1 Greece |
If Portugal contesting the final on Portuguese soil had been expected, Greece lining up against them had certainly not. Otto Rehhagel's team of artisans were supposed to be out of their depth; after all, their opening day group victory over the hosts was their first win in a major tournament, and they had only appeared in two such competitions previously. But their hard work and defensive discipline had provided a platform from which they could spring effective counterattacks, and their list of victims had steadily grown.With the Portuguese fans willing their team to fulfil its footballing potential, Luiz Felipe Scolari's dominated possession and attacked relentlessly, but as had been the case three weeks earlier, the Greek 'Pirate Ship' was able to repel all boarders.
The sense of frustration inside the Stadium of Light was palpable; it became desperation when, after 57 minutes, Angelos Charisteas scored from a corner. Portugal maintained their urgent probing, but the addition of five minutes’ injury time still wasn’t enough for Luis Figo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rui Costa and co. to conjure an equaliser.
For the first time, a host country reaching the final had failed to win it. But the real story was about the 80-1 outsiders who had sent a seismic shock through European football.
| PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT |
Ten years after making his international debut, defensive midfielder Theodoros Zagorakis captained Greece to their greatest footballing triumph. Cajoling his team-mates against arguably more gifted opponents, Zagorakis led by example through the resolve, prodigious work-rate and sheer grit of his defending.Aged 33 at the time of Euro 2004, he went on to make a record 120 appearances the national team. His club career embraced PAOK Salonika twice, Leicester City (with whom he won a League Cup), AEK Athens and Bologna, and if his profile was lower than that of some others, his contribution certainly wasn’t.
After hanging up his boots Zagorakis became president of PAOK and worked to improve their precarious finances, stabilise the club and mobilise the fan-base. Although he stood down towards the end of 2009, he quickly reassumed the presidency and remains in that role.
| MOMENT OF THE TOURNAMENT |
In an absorbing final of contrasting styles, the key moment was the winning goal scored by Angelos Charisteas after some committed Greek defending. It also encapsulated the tournament as a whole.
Giourkas Seitaridis won a corner on the right which Angelos Basinas flighted into the area, where Charisteas got above Costinha to head home at close quarters.
| MATCH OF THE TOURNAMENT England 2-2 Portugal (AET; Portugal won 6-5 on penalties) |
England got off to the perfect start in Lisbon when Michael Owen scored in the third minute with a flash of improvisation, pivoting to flick the ball past Ricardo. But they suffered a blow when Wayne Rooney limped off injured after 27 minutes to be replaced by Darius Vassell. Sustained pressure led to Portugal equalising seven minutes from time, Helga Postiga heading home a cross from Simao Sabrosa.
In the 110th minute substitute Rui Costa hit a stunner beyond David James, but England responded, John Terry’s knockdown being turned in by Frank Lampard five minutes later. In the penalty shoot-out, David Beckham and Vassell both missed. That proved decisive as keeper Ricardo coolly buried the winning kick.
Visit our Euro 2012 microsite for all you need to know ahead of Friday's draw and beyond - team profiles, stadium guides, even which hotels are best to stay in!
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power - Bet £10, Get £20! |
|
21:50 BST -
And here are some quotes from today's goalscorer, Danny Welbeck: "It's still the same, me and Ashley [Young] playing together.
"We know each other's games and obviously we're training with each other day in and day out.
"So, it was really good to start up top with him."
"We know each other's games and obviously we're training with each other day in and day out.
"So, it was really good to start up top with him."
Inside Goal.Com
-
Welbeck convinces Hodgson he is the man to lead the line
England beat Norway 1-0 at Wembley, with the Manchester United man hitting an impressive winner to stake his claim for a starting spot at Euro 2012
-
The five players Rodgers could sign to kick-start revolution
The new Reds boss was unveiled to the press on Friday and must immediately begin work on revitalising a thin squad with some additions in the transfer market
-
Managerial merry-go-round keeps spinning as Lambert takes Villa job
The Scot officially left Norwich City on Saturday to become the second new boss in June, following the appointment of Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool on Friday
-
Rodgers ushers in new Anfield era on his own terms
The Northern Irishman inevitably expressed his delight at landing the Reds job but evidenced plenty of the steely resolve which could see him become a success at Anfield
-
The definitive timeline of FSG's hunt for new manager
Kenny Dalglish's sacking at the end of the season sparked a massive hunt for the next Anfield boss, and the former Swansea man has been chosen after several turned the job down
