Euro 2004

[Skio]

ETSI GAMOUN OI ELLINES!!!
(sorry)

[Barcik]

First, about the Portugal-Holland:

While watching the match, I had two enlightments.
The first one is that Portugal is indeed an excellent team who play very good football. However, unlike everyone thinks, they are not excellent in attack - they were decent against Holland, more or less as they were through the whole tournament. After all, isn't it fun in a championship where everyone complains about 'cowardly' coaches and 'tactical' teams to see Figo and Ronaldo dribble? After all, we can easily ignore cases when they stupidly and uselessly try to dribble and lose balls to Gio Van-Bronckhorst and Micheal Reiziger (and from knowing these two well, I can tell you it is no honour).  Nonsense.
Nevertheless, Porutgal is an excellent team - from the midfield and down. Costinha and Maniche are giving them almost full control of the pitch in every match. Furthermore, they have to make sure their structure isn't breached after the attackers lose balls. Miguel was great, and made Robben disappear.
The second enlightment is that I really want Deco in Barca. You see, after the recent interest expressed by my beloved team in the Portugese midfielder, I decided that I will follow him the whole match. From all the players of Portugal, he does the most work. One second he builds an attack for his team, the second he destryos one of the rival. His mobile play enabled him to be the loose factor in every match-up on the field. Not just that, he is also very smart. He doesn't pressure the player with the ball, but instead stands 7-8 metres away and prevents him from giving a pass. No doubt he would be better than Xavi.

And, about today's game.

Truthfully, I too had problems with accpeting it prior the this semi-final. But now, there is no doubt. Greece is the best team in Euro 2004. They fully deserve to be in the final.
Many people have criticzed their defensive style. Bullshit. It's not attack that is pretty, but quality. Seeing such a perfect tackle by the Greeks, and their superb marking is beatiful.
Kapsis is the man of the match. Alone, he stopped the best player in the tournmanet Ian Koller (together with Maniche of Portugal). You see, the Czech play in a very interesting manner. Unlike most strikers of his size, Koller plays with his back to the goal. Due to his immense power and weight, he is usually able to receive the ball inside the area. Then, he gives it back to the midfielders or Barros, creating endless attacking posibilities. He acts similary to a pivot player in basketball. Kapsis is smaller and less powerful than him, but he did make his homework. Look how Kapsis is always standing in the exact spot where he can cancel Koller's phsyical advantage. Genius. All the others were great too, especially Fyssas, Karagounis, Basinas and Cherestias.
Go Greece!

[Flor]

I found this thread two days ago and I'm shocked.

I read many comments about the teams, most of them nice, other not so nice, but only bad things about Portugal: mediocre, stupids, someone wants Greece to destroy us...
No one congratulated us for our victories.

Why? Just because we are a small and poor country?
I'm proud to be portuguese, I'm proud of the way this championship was organized, I'm proud of the way we are welcoming all the people that came to Portugal during these weeks, I'm proud that there was no major acts of violence.

Portugal and Greece are in the final (our fist time ever), let us hope it will be a fair and enjoyable match.

Good luck, Greece.

[Dart]

Greece is in the final?

Heh, no wonder some dudes were waving Greek flags out of their car windows this afternoon.

[Las Naranjas]

I hate to be trying to drive in parts of Sydney or all of Melbourne today. I'd assume it'd be much the same in parts of Canada and the US.

[Vel]

The Czech kind of saw it coming. If they had played fast, attacking football like they did against holland(when they were 2 behind, heh)the Greek wouldn't have won. But no, the Czechs played Greece's game, and not surprisingly, lost.

Go Greece!

[Barcik]

Nonsense. Unlike the French, the Czech did try to play their game. Koller tried to give his regular passes back, Barros was very mobile, trying from the right, the left, and behind. Rocisky did all he can, with double-passes and dribbles. They just couldn't breach the Greek defense.

[Vel]

Throughout the whole game, the Czech had like, uh 4 or 5 real goal opportunities. Far less than they had in their previous games.

[Privateer Puddin']

Doesn't mean they werent trying, just that the Greeks stopped them :p

[aussie]

Greece is one of the better teams around. No question. They are where they are on their own merit.

But heaven assist us if their no-frills bullshit is where soccer is heading.

Go Portugal.

[Guestltd]

One of the reasons that Portugal lost the first game against Greece was nobody was waiting they were so bloody good! Even the Greeks were astonished with their successes, as they've won against some of the very favorites! But now Scolari and his team are aware. Besides, Scolari has shown too many times before he doesn't lost finals: Brazil is the most recent proof.

So go go go Portugal! Show the Greeks they can be good, but you're even better! I bet on your victory!

[Lazy Z]

A few comments for the Greece - Czech Rep. match, since I hadn't had the time to do so yet. First of all, I think Greece is the one team that fulfills the term "team" more than anyone else. While we may lack the talent of other teams (and this was too obvious against the superior Czechs), the players play for the team, not themselves. While individual talent can also take a team pretty far, teamwork is another way to play the game "right". By the way, anyone else felt really bad for Nedved? He's always been one of my favorite players, it's just sad to see him leave the game like that... I really don't know if we would have won had he not been injured. And I would have liked seeing him get a Euro trophy, but hey, Zagorakis deserves one too!  Kapsis too, that guy played with such determination and put every fiber of his being into the game (sorry for the cliche ), he almost put a tear in my eyes.

Flor: I supported Portugal, up to this point, but I can't really support them now that they play against my team. Plus all I've been hearing all week is that the Portugese wanted us in the finals so they'd revenge their defeat in the opening match of the Euro, so all I'm saying is careful what you wish for . And just for the record, Greece ain't exactly a rich and powerful country . Good luck to Portugal however, they definitely deserve their place in the final.

But now Scolari and his team are aware. Besides, Scolari has shown too many times before he doesn't lost finals

He has lost at least one, against Ajax back in 1996. Yeah so it's just the one, but hey if we're gonna have this talk, Portugal hasn't defeated Greece in the last 16 years.

So now I'll make a prediction for the game. Greece will... lose. I've been saying this for the whole thread, and look what happened, why jinx it now? 

Honestly though, I don't see us defeating Portugal for the second time in the same tournament. Unless the Great Goddess favours us once more, we'll see...

About where football is heading... Football has been on the road to mediocrity for a (long) while now, Greece ain't gonna be a trend-setter here. Plus it's not like Greece is the first team to play this style, hell, we're playing just like the Germans! In any case, there are several trends in contemporary football, for every disciplined Euro 2004 Greece and every defensively-oriented Italian club/national team, you get a Real Madrid and an Abramovitch-owned Chelsea, so the balance between the two distinct styles is pretty much retained.

[Guestltd]

He has lost at least one, against Ajax back in 1996. Yeah so it's just the one, but hey if we're gonna have this talk, Portugal hasn't defeated Greece in the last 16 years.

Hi, everybody! 

Hi, Lazy Z! 

Ok, I didn't know that about Ajax. Thanks for the info. And Portugal didn't win against Spain since the 80s...
Well, I hope Portugal win, but your team is very, very difficult to beat. So the best one - or even the luckiest one - will win. Speaking about luck, Greece has had a little bit, of course allied to a "savoir faire" that made the difference between a good team and a genius one... Besides, Figo has done the best he can, and he (opposite to other ones I don't nominate) has been playing very well. And Portugal is been playing as a whole team too!
Maybe they will have to go on penalties. And you're right about Greece: it's a real whole bloody escellent team: an excellent couch makes the difference, both teams have proved that: yours, a German; Portugal's, a Brazilian, the actual world champion.

[Barcik]

A little sidenote: Deco is going to Barca! Ole!

[Spyros]

Hey stop this joke
I feel I am in a candid camera show and someone will say "Smile, it is candid camera the real final is France-England" 

Anyway we don't have many possibilities to win this game too but we've gone so far that no one expected it.

But in case we win:
FINAL IN LISBON
CUP IN PARTHENON

[Vel]

Somehow, I FEEL that the refferee is going to push Portugal to the title. I've seen Markus Merk do such things in CL, supporting the more famous team. Anyway, if Greece wins, it will be great!

[Guestltd]

Yeah so it's just the one, but hey if we're gonna have this talk, Portugal hasn't defeated Greece in the last 16 years.

The last time Portugal and Greece met before Euro 2004 was in a friendly in Aveiro in November 2003. The result was a 1-1 draw with Vassilis Lakis opening the scoring for Greece after 47 minutes and Pauleta equalising after 60. Figo missed a 30th minute penalty.
Portugal's last win over Greece dates back to 27 March 1996 when they secured a 1-0 home win in a friendly match.
Portugal's last win over Greece dates back to 27 March 1996 when they secured a 1-0 home win in a friendly match.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/euro_2004/3860105.stm

Well, I just hope the best team wins. That's all.

[Barcik]

Somehow, I FEEL that the refferee is going to push Portugal to the title. I've seen Markus Merk do such things in CL, supporting the more famous team.

Common, it's the Euro 2004 final here. Any mistake he makes will go into the Great Football History Book. This should ensure fair refereeing.

[Lazy Z]

8 years, 16 years, same difference . Plus it was in the previous millenium.

I kinda have the same feeling as Vel, Merk usually favors the hosts, and no greek team has ever won a match when Merk was the referee. But hey, first time for everything!

[Vel]

Barcik, football is far more than just a game economically speaking. UEFA will have more income if Portugal wins, and thats why they'll do everything possible to push portugal to the title. That includes non-that-existant penalties, fouls near the area etc. Im sure you know what Im speaking of.