Greeks wake up to new dawn

Impressive achievement
Nikopolidis was on the losing side in Faro/Loulé on Sunday, in a 2-1 defeat by Russia, but was still celebrating after Greece finished second in Group A to reach the last eight at Spain's expense. The Panathinaikos FC player hopes this achievement will spark more success for the national team.

'A new era'
"This is the start of a new era for the national team," the 33-year-old said. "We hope we can capitalise on this result in the future and that the fans begin to love the national side."

Alarm bells ringing
Greece knew that they would go through provided they did not lose by a greater margin than Spain, but after conceding two goals in the first 17 minutes against Russia, the alarm bells were ringing. "We still believed we could turn things around," Nikopolidis said. "We got one back and even though we didn't manage to equalise, we still got the result we needed."

Crucial goal
Vassilios Tsiartas was a key figure for Greece, with his introduction as a substitute three minutes before the break prompting Zisis Vryzas's crucial goal. The AEK Athens FC midfield player, who also created a string of chances in the second half, spoke of his relief after the match, saying: "We knocked on the door of hell, luckily no one was there."

Scary moments
Meanwhile, defender Mihalis Kapsis admitted the opening minutes left him worried. "To be honest, I was scared after the Russians went 2-0 up," he said. Striker Angelos Charisteas added: "I don't care about this match any more. I've already forgotten about it. The important thing is that we are among the eight best teams in Europe."

Making headlines
Greece had never scored a goal at a major finals before this summer, yet they have been the surprise package of EURO 2004™. Otto Rehhagel's men will have the chance to make more headlines on Friday when they meet the Group B winners in a Lisbon quarter-final. Defender Panagiotis Fyssas is looking forward to it.

'Hope for the best'
"It doesn't really matter who we play in the last eight," he said. "All the teams out there are very strong. As we saw, Russia were already eliminated but they played very well. We have to remain focused and hope for the best."

No fear
Stylianos Giannakopoulos missed Sunday's game with a calf injury but hopes to return for the Estádio José Alvalade clash. "I don't care who we play," said the midfield player. "At the stage we are now, no team frightens us."