Greece in fighting mood for crunch tie
Source: AFP |
June 22, 2012, Friday
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GREECE is in a fighting mood ahead of its crunch Euro 2012 quarterfinal tonight against tournament favorites Germany, aiming to conjure up the spirit that helped it win the trophy eight years ago.
Panathinaikos midfielder Kostas Katsouranis said they were giving no thought to the inevitable underdog image Greece has against powerhouse Germany.
"We're going to play Germany. What do you think we are thinking? That we're going to lose? That's why they are going to have a tough time," the 33-year-old veteran told reporters. "What do they think? That we're just going to stand there and look at them? We're going to play them. We have proven that through the games so far."
POAK striker Dimitris Salpingidis was similarly gung-ho. "If you come to the dressing room, you will see 22 fighters, ready to fight. It doesn't matter to us what anyone says," he said. "In 2004, we proved we can do it. What we're going to do is fight, and try to go through to the next round."
High-octane
The Greeks stormed into the quarterfinals after halting the high-octane Russians in their tracks in their final Group A match last week.
"It never crossed our minds that we were going to lose to Russia. From the first moment, we were confident. We believed we would win. And we did," said Salpindigis.
"There's no doubt that win was very important. It boosted the team's spirit.
"We're now among the eight best teams in Europe, so things will get tougher from now on. But in my opinion, there's no surprise regarding the teams that have advanced to the quarterfinals. Our group was very tough and I'm glad we made it," he said.
Greece started off its campaign with a 1-1 draw with Euro 2012 co-hosts Poland, then lost 1-2 to the Czech Republic, which dashed the Poles' hopes with a 1-0 victory in its last game, and was to play Portugal in the other quarterfinal late last night.
Panathinaikos midfielder Kostas Katsouranis said they were giving no thought to the inevitable underdog image Greece has against powerhouse Germany.
"We're going to play Germany. What do you think we are thinking? That we're going to lose? That's why they are going to have a tough time," the 33-year-old veteran told reporters. "What do they think? That we're just going to stand there and look at them? We're going to play them. We have proven that through the games so far."
POAK striker Dimitris Salpingidis was similarly gung-ho. "If you come to the dressing room, you will see 22 fighters, ready to fight. It doesn't matter to us what anyone says," he said. "In 2004, we proved we can do it. What we're going to do is fight, and try to go through to the next round."
High-octane
The Greeks stormed into the quarterfinals after halting the high-octane Russians in their tracks in their final Group A match last week.
"It never crossed our minds that we were going to lose to Russia. From the first moment, we were confident. We believed we would win. And we did," said Salpindigis.
"There's no doubt that win was very important. It boosted the team's spirit.
"We're now among the eight best teams in Europe, so things will get tougher from now on. But in my opinion, there's no surprise regarding the teams that have advanced to the quarterfinals. Our group was very tough and I'm glad we made it," he said.
Greece started off its campaign with a 1-1 draw with Euro 2012 co-hosts Poland, then lost 1-2 to the Czech Republic, which dashed the Poles' hopes with a 1-0 victory in its last game, and was to play Portugal in the other quarterfinal late last night.
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