Speed and skill reap rewards

Quality tournament
Speaking in Lisbon today, the former Liverpool FC manager Gérard Houllier - a member of the UEFA technical study group in Portugal - said that UEFA EURO 2004™ had been a top-quality tournament, particularly as far as pace and technique are concerned.

'Exciting games'
"There were some extremely exciting games - it was high-level in terms of tempo in spite of the heat," said the Frenchman. "The level of skill was also good, especially at pace - it seems that a combination of skill and speed are the basis for success at the top level now."

'Incredible mystery'
UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh expressed the view that Greece's astonishing capture of the European crown demonstrated that football retained an "incredible mystery".

'Underdogs on top'
He continued: "Greece's teamwork has been excellent, they have made excellent use of what they have - they have come from nowhere to surprise everybody, although people began taking notice of them after their qualifying campaign. They have constantly been classed as underdogs, but here the underdogs have come out on top."

'Less resources'
Houllier added of Greee's 1-0 final defeat of Portugal: "It shows that teams that seem to have less resources than others can get results. Major clubs will now be taking a look at the Greek players."