Greek heroes surprise again

Surprise in store
Greece, the team that has raised more continental eyebrows than any other at UEFA EURO 2004™, were hoping that their ability to surprise had not yet been extinguished. If there was complacency in the French ranks – a legitimate notion because you just don't expect to find the Greeks at this juncture of a major competition - then they were ready to take advantage.

Busy Barthez
The early signs in the Estádio José Alvalade were that France had indeed looked closer at the history of Greek football than they had the results posted by Otto Rehhagel's men in the first five days of the Portugal festival. In that time they had defeated the host nation and gained a deserved draw with Spain. In the first half here, Fabien Barthez was the busier goalkeeper by some margin.

Greece on a roll
Until the opening fixture, Greece had never tasted the satisfaction of victory in a tournament proper, their two previous excursions to the 1980 UEFA European Championships and 1994 FIFA World Cup both showing zero in the wins column. That all changed as the self-belief they gained in downing Portugal's hopes of a flying start then provided the impetus for their own surge into the knockout stages. That was another first for a nation whose passion for football has never been compromised by the lack of success of the national team.

French enigma
Their reward was to face the title-holders for a place in the semi-finals. While there was plenty of intrigue at the prospect of Greece continuing their good form, fascination abounded too in how France would approach this challenge. Could they at last apply a champions' stamp to their summer toil?

Narrow let-off
The French have shown their best only in fits and starts and it was the same again. Fortunately Barthez was alert to every whiff of danger, desperately clawing back the ball as it threatened to cross the line from Konstantinos Katsouranis' far-post lunge.

England presence
When Panagiotis Fyssas sent a looping volley high towards Barthez's goal, up went his fists to turn it over the bar. The Greek fans behind his goal were noisy, their French counterparts silent. At a lull in the proceedings there rose a chant of "England" from up high in the stands, a sign that those who had bought tickets for this quarter-final expecting Sven-Göran Eriksson's team to win Group B were emerging from the hangover induced by the previous evening's distressing outcome at the neighbouring Lisbon stadium.

Holders hit back
As the clock ticked towards the hour so Les Bleus showed something resembling their true colours. Thierry Henry was close with a volley, following that with a high cross that demanded a saving header at the far post. Bixente Lizarazu and William Gallas joined in with thrilling surges from their defensive positions.

Sucker punch
And then Greece scored, Angelos Charisteas staking his claim for personal glory with an emphatic header. France might have responded but Louis Saha and Henry could not finish with the same conviction with which they had created their own openings. A Henry header flew wide. Up in the executive seats Michel Platini looked downcast.

Greek gods
The French players had again failed to do justice to their reputations and the night belonged conclusively to Greece. They had surprised before but never to this extent.