Greek drama takes centre stage

Stuff of legend
An opening-day win against hosts Portugal, a creditable draw against Spain and a superbly executed victory against the holders France had taken Otto Rehhagel's men to the verge of the final against Portugal in Lisbon on Sunday night. When considering that the Greeks had never won a match at a major championship before that opener on 12 June, it has been truly been the stuff of legend. Surely, though, the story would end tonight against the competition's form team, the Czech Republic, at the Estádio do Dragão?

Defence rewarded
However, Greece had other ideas and fittingly, after another outstanding defensive display, it was one of Rehhagel's rearguard that proved the match winner. The solid AS Roma defender Traianos Dellas stole in as the first half of extra time ticked away and headed his team into the final.

Nedved focus
Prior to the match, all the talk had been about Czech captain Pavel Nedved and the threat he faced of missing the final, should he pick up another yellow card to add to the one acquired here against Denmark last Sunday. If the European Footballer of the Year was distracted by such thoughts, especially as he missed the 2003 UEFA Champions League final for the same reason, he was soon focused by a heavy challenge from Konstantinos Katsouranis inside two minutes.

Key injury
A more telling collision between the pair was to prove costly half an hour later. Nedved went for a shot but succeeded only in slamming his right leg against Katsouranis. For the next few minutes, Nedved struggled to shake off the pain. It was to no avail and he left the pitch in distress. The second yellow had been avoided but injury, rather than suspension, ultimately stopped him in his tracks.

Rosický resplendent
With Nedved gone, it was left to Karel Poborský, equalling the UEFA European Championship appearance record, to assume the armband and the responsibility that goes with it. However, it was his younger midfield colleague Tomáš Rosický who shone the brightest of the attacking players on view, setting the tone for his performance with a shot that rattled the crossbar inside two minutes. The 23-year-old Rosický appears to have it all, not least a former Miss Czech Republic for a girlfriend and the sublime skills to suit the No10 shirt. He too, like Nedved, will be missed in the final.

Perfect venue
Greece began to believe after about an hour and turned up the volume when Zisis Vryzas's header tested Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech. The Greek supporters had arrived in vast numbers, snapping up every available plane ticket from Athens as soon as their team surpassed all expectations. More than 10,000 were inside the home of FC Porto and they perfectly complimented the blue-and-white setting.

A-list Dellas
Yet, for all of Rosický's delightful passes and some clear-cut chances for both teams, the game itself failed to replicate the sights or sounds of the host nation's triumph in the other semi-final - although "Portugal, olé" could, on occasion, be heard as loud as in Lisbon last night. Defence was the order of the day and Karel Brückner's side only ever looked in danger from set-pieces - so no one should have been surprised when Dellas, a definite A-list star at these finals, clinically exposed the Czech achilles heel.