Greek hero hungry for more

Solitary strike
Giannakopoulos's 42nd-minute goal in Zaragoza earned Greece a 1-0 victory against the Group 6 leaders and boosted their chances of qualifying directly for next summer's UEFA EURO 2004™ finals.

History makers
Now, with Ukraine due in Athens in two days' time, the Bolton Wanderers FC midfield player insists his country can make it a week to remember. "It was a historic victory for Greek football and a result we could not have dreamt of," Giannakopoulos told uefa.com. "But it will be useless if we do not follow it up with a result against Ukraine. We know this and will be doing our best to get another win."

Crunch game
Ukraine, like Greece, are a point behind Spain in second place in the section. But Giannakopoulos believes the feelgood factor stemming from Saturday's win can inspire Otto Rehhagel's side to another famous victory. He called on the nation to support the team at Panathinaikos FC's Apostolos Nikolaidis stadium on Wednesday.

'Tough nut to crack'
"Ukraine will be a tough nut to crack so I hope the fans will get behind us," he said. "They can congratulate us on the win in Spain, and we can hopefully return the favour by playing well and getting the best possible result. Everyone must do their bit - especially the press, who have a tendency to focus more on the clubs than the national team. They had to give us priority after our win in Spain, and we intend to keep it that way.

Reversal of fortunes
"That's the beauty of football - you can never write anyone off," he added. "Many people were convinced that after our defeats against Spain [at home] and Ukraine [away], we had no chance. But we never gave up and are determined to prove them wrong. However, we have a long road ahead, with some difficult games. The situation in the group is such that one team's loss will be another team's gain."

Rehhagel praise
That Greece are in the position they are is, Giannakopoulos said, is down to Rehhagel, the German coach who "has put a great effort into understanding the Greek mentality". "He has excellent qualities as a professional and as a person. There is no magic - he just works hard and conveys his calmness to the players. We played as we had planned to against Spain, very disciplined and very strong defensively, and we wore them down."

Proud man
Giannakopoulos continued: "It was a hard match. We were lucky not to concede a goal in the first 25 minutes, but then gained in confidence." And that confidence soared after Giannakopoulos struck a 20-metre shot past Iker Casillas shortly before half-time. It was, he said, a "proud" moment. "Every international goal is special," he said. "But you can imagine my satisfaction after this - the match-winner against a great team. I am very proud and will be telling my children about it."

Bolton boon
The midfield player said that his recent transfer from Greek champions Olympiakos Piraeus FC to Premiership side Bolton had also lifted his morale. "Since I signed for Bolton, I feel liberated and that shows on the pitch."

Twin goals
Now, he is aiming for success in England as well as in Portugal. "My goal is to keep improving as a player and as a person. I have been blessed with a successful career in Greece and I am determined to continue that in England."