Euro 2012: Greek Squad Hoping to Bottle the Magic Again

Eight years ago, Greece shocked the world with their improbable championship run at Euro 2004 in Portugal.  Greece were 35th in the FIFA world rankings entering that tournament.  Managed by a relatively unknown German, Otto Rehhagel, players with an overabundance of vowels in their last names but short on footballing notoriety, were an afterthought and a presumed an early departing team.

So with another European championship mere weeks away, the success of 2004 resurfaces on the conscious of the footballing public and most deeply with those who wear and support the blue and white.  The sweet memories of '04 are especially poignant now to a population experiencing unprecedented economic woe and societal upheaval.  

The national team would be a welcome distraction if they could reverse their record in major tournaments since that summer in Portugal.

The Greeks failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, finishing fourth in a group that included the Ukraine, Turkey, Denmark, Albania, Georgia and Kazakhstan.  In their title defense at Euro 2008, the Ethniki lost all three of their group games, scoring a lone goal against the eventual champions, Spain.

Despite having Europe's leading scorer in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, Fanis Gekas, the Greeks just slipped in by defeating the Ukraine 1-0 in the playoff round.  In the tournament, they defeated Nigeria but two losses to South Korea then Argentina doomed them to third place in Group B.  The 2-1 win over the Super Eagles was in fact Greece's only win in an international tournament since the '04 final against Portugal.

Greece have qualified impressively for Euro 2012, going undefeated and winning their group over Croatia.  They were drawn into Group A (generally regarded as the most wide open of the tournament) with Russia, co-hosts Poland and the Czech Republic.

Fernando Santos, another unheralded foreign manager, ascribes to similar defensive philosophies of his German predecessor.  He selected his provisional 25-man roster on Thursday, favoring seasoned national team players over rising talents.  

Greece opens the tournament June 8th against the hosts in a spanking new stadium.  While only a few players remain from the 2004 team maybe the Greeks will arrive at a similar ending from similar beginnings at Euro 2012.  Replicating the heroics of the 2004 team will be the responsibility of this group:

Goalkeepers: Michalis Sifakis (Aris Thessaloniki), Kostas Chalkias (PAOK), Alexandros Tzorvas (Palermo)

Defenders: Vassilis Torossidis (Olympiakos), Kyriakos Papadopoulos (Schalke 04), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Werder Bremen), Avraam Papadopoulos (Olympiakos), José Holebas (Olympiakos), Giorgos Tzavellas (AS Monaco), Stelios Malezas (PAOK)

Midfielders: Kostas Katsouranis (Panathinaikos), Giorgos Karagounis (Panathinaikos), Giannis Maniatis (Olympiakos), Giorgos Fotakis (PAOK), Grigoris Makos (AEK Athens), Giannis Fetfatzidis (Olympiakos), Sotiris Ninis (Panathinaikos), Alexandros Tziolis (AS Monaco), Kostas Fortunis (Kaiserslautern), Panagiotis Kone (Bologna)

Forwards: Dimitris Salpingidis (PAOK), Giorgos Samaras (Celtic), Fanis Gekas (Samsunspor), Nikos Liberopoulos (AEK Athens), Kostas Mitroglou (Atromitos FC)

Greece has two warm up matches from their training base in Austria, May 26th against Slovenia and May 31st against Armenia.