Twelve years ago Greece stunned everyone by winning the European Championship, lifting the trophy at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon with the city becoming a Greek colony for a few days. In the streets of Portugal’s capital – as well as back in Athens – fans were rejoicing and singing in honour of “Piratiko”, the Pirate Ship, as a famous radio commentator had nicknamed the team.
For Greece 2004, read Wales 2016. Neither arrived with a notable tournament history (Greece had been to the 1980 Euros and the 1994 World Cup; Wales to the World Cup of 1958), both had suffered a humiliating defeat during their previous qualifying campaign (Greece 5-1 in Finland; Wales 6-1 in Serbia) and each began as outsiders. Yet they won their opening game and got through their group before beating huge favourites in the quarter-finals (Wales dispatching Belgium 3-1 and Greece seeing off France 1-0).
Giorgos Karagounis, who was part of the Greece team that triumphed in Portugal, says the effects of what Otto Rehhagel’s squad achieved are still being felt. “I’m on the island of Rhodes for my coaching badges and I can still see it in the eyes of those approaching me,” he says. “I believe it’s a heritage for the next generation. And now, with the internet and social media involved in such a degree, even little kids are able to learn what happened.
“We became an inspiration for the fans. We had a good team, footballers with personality, a pragmatic manager who made us put ‘we’ before ‘me’. One ingredient is not enough for the recipe of success. You need all of them and a good chef.”
The chef in discussion is “Herr Otto”. Rehhagel was in charge when Greece suffered that heavy defeat in Helsinki in 2001, just as Coleman oversaw Wales’s miserable night in Novi Sad 11 years later. Both managers bounced back spectacularly.
“Rehhagel managed to make us a group,” says Karagounis, a former Fulham midfielder. “He created a spine of players and he trusted them all over his reign. There were other footballers giving good performances for two or three months, but he didn’t bother. You had to do extraordinary things with your club to make it to the squad.”
Rehhagel called up players even if they did not have a club, such as Angelos Basinas and Vasilis Tsiartas, and the confidence he transmitted to his team brought rewards. “Before the group stage opening match against Portugal, he told us: ‘We fought and struggled to come here. We suffered, we endured. They don’t have anything, they are here because they are the organisers.’ That inspired us even further, trying to galvanise the players with the thought of not succumbing to anybody.”
Greece finished the qualifiers with six straight wins, including in Spain, without conceding a goal. “Every point we gained, boosted our self-confidence, from the 1-0 win in Zaragoza in the qualifiers until the first win against Portugal. The latter carried us until the final.
“We had a great game. The first objective was to take our country’s first points in a major competition. After that we felt free. Especially after the quarter-final against France, we believed it was our once in a lifetime chance to become champions of Europe.”
Greece defeated the reigning champions after Theo Zagorakis skipped past Bixente Lizararu and crossed for Angelos Charisteas to head beyond a stunned Fabien Barthez.
“When you eliminate a team like France, with such a rich history and such talent, it proves a lot about your mentality,” Karagounis says. “I said to my team-mates that there wasn’t anything better, with all due respect to the other teams. The Czech Republic, our semi-final opponent, were the in-form team of the tournament, but they weren’t the European champions, they didn’t have Zidane.”
In Athens, people emptied the streets before every game and ran back to celebrate after. “We lived in a different world,” Karagounis says. “We couldn’t realise what was happening at home. Maybe that was a good thing. When we returned after the final, we were flabbergasted seeing all those hundreds and thousands of people celebrating in front of our bus.”
Karagounis sees clear parallels between Greece’s story and what Wales are achieving. “They hadn’t played in major tournament for many years, they fight for every ball, they believe it like us. Wales play beautiful football, score and they are the surprise package of the tournament. They deserve every tiny bit of what has happened.
“There’s a difference in the way they play, because they do not constantly use our 3-5-2 formation. However, Wales are better than us in attack. Gareth Bale gives a little extra, as well as some Premier League players.”
The 39-year-old can empathise with Aaron Ramsey, who is suspended against Portugal, just as Karagounis was from the 2004 final. “Ramsey was the best player against Belgium,” he says. “Uefa must re-examine the yellow card situation. I carried a huge burden after I was shown a second yellow at the semi-final against the Czech Republic and couldn’t help my team in the final.”
Not that Karagounis is hoping Wales lift the trophy. His final manager with Greece, Fernando Santos, is in charge of Portugal. “Wales made a great effort, but Portugal have Santos. On Wednesday, I won’t support anyone, but I hope the best team wins.”
Costas Bratsos is a football writer for Contra.gr
