Greece midfielder Georgios Karagounis was thrilled after his two set-pieces earned the European champions a 2-1 win against Portugal on Wednesday, saying: "I don't get to take them at Panathinaikos [FC]."
Portuguese absentees
Greece have now gone five games without defeat against the Portuguese, and denied their opponents the chance to avenge defeat in the final of UEFA EURO 2004™. Otto Rehhagel's men won that match 1-0, and they seemed on course for an even better result in Düsseldorf after Karagounis had hit the target twice with free-kicks, but Nuno Gomes pulled a goal back for Luiz Felipe Scolari's side, who were without Manchester United FC stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani as well as Deco.
Free-kick duties
"The Portuguese have beaten Brazil twice recently and that shows you what a good team they are," said Karagounis. "We're looking forward to having a good time at EURO 2008™." Having scored his first international goals since March 2005, the former SL Benfica player also hinted that he ought to be trusted with set-piece duties at club level: "I’m allowed to take the free-kicks with the national team. I don't get to take them at Panathinaikos."
Ex-pat crowd
Fellow midfielder Stelios Giannakopoulos was similarly encouraged by the performance in Germany, saying: "A friendly victory is always important for the team's morale. We're a well-organised team and we work for each other. Our coach will have a tough task picking a team from what could be the best Greece squad ever. Hopefully, we made the Greeks of Germany happy tonight."
Core personnel
Pleased with the win, victorious tactician Rehhagel added: "This test led us to some important conclusions ahead of our opening match at UEFA EURO 2008™. We're testing our squad. I hope no injuries affect our preparations for the finals in June. These players plus [injured defender] Traianos Dellas make up our team, but they'll have to give it their all during our preparations to make it to the final list."
Calm assessment
His counterpart Scolari pointed to Portugal's absentees, meanwhile, and was keen to look for positives. "I think one or two players earned their place at the EURO," he said. “Which ones? That's between me and my technical staff. Greece were the better team tonight as they were extremely efficient at scoring goals. Both teams had more or less the same ball possession but the match was decided by two free-kicks."
Greek vintage
Portugal goalscorer Nuno Gomes was also gracious in defeat. "We couldn’t handle Greece in the first half,” he said. "They're a very experienced team, with a number of veteran players who know how to control a game. They were lucky to score from a free-kick, and did exactly the same thing in the second half. We didn't play the match we wanted to, but we have to look forward and focus on the EURO."
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