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| ARMANDO FRANCA/AP |
| WINNERS: Theodoros Zagorakis of Greece raises the trophy after Greece beat Portugal 1-0 in the Euro 2004 soccer championship final match at Lisbon's Luz stadium. |
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Portugal 0 Greece 1
The tournament underdogs create sporting history and win Euro 2004 in Lisbon
By MAX BROCKBANK |
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Posted Sunday, July 4, 2004; 22:34 BST
The final whistle blew on the Euro 2004 final in Lisbon tonight effectively wasting four weeks of the Continent's time. For the result was the same as the very first match in the tournament—Greece 1, Portugal lost. Never in the history of predictions had so many people got it so wrong. Aside from Latvia and Bulgaria, no team was less fancied to come away well from this Iberian odyssey than Greece.
The Portuguese fans came to Lisbon expecting to celebrate a remarkable victory: the first hosts to win in two decades and the first Portuguese side to win any major title. In the event it was Greece's night as the side that had never even won a match in a major tournament produced one of the biggest shocks in football history.
Portugal had the majority of the possession in front of a fanatical crowd at the Estádio da Luz—The Stadium of Light—but were frustrated from the start by a superbly-drilled Greek side, pulled together by German coach Otto Rehhagel. In the first half Greek fans created a deafening wall of sound at the end Portugal were attacking which seemed to act like an impenetrable wall for Figo and Co.
But it was during a jittery second half—57 minutes into the match—that the goal came; Angelos Charisteas headed in Angelis Basinas' cross from Greece's first corner of the match. After that, wave after wave of Portuguese pressure failed to break through a stifling Greek defence thanks to excellent work from the back four.
Five minutes from the end of normal time the match was briefly brought to a halt when a supporter carrying a Barcelona flag staged a one-man pitch invasion. He was chased into the goal by security officials and then frogmarched off by police and stewards. This, and other stoppages led to five minutes overtime during which a now desperate Portuguese side could find no way through the Greek lines.
However, the stunned crowd's hopes of a last-minute equaliser to take the match into extra time and the so-called Silver Goal scenario were dashed when the German referee blew the whistle, leaving Portugal and Man U striker Ronaldo in tears.
Euro 2004 has been the oddest tournament with the favourites dropping like flies and the dark horses
providing welcome excitement. Greece now has something to keep its mood high until the Olympics open in Athens 40 days from now.
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 Brand it Like Beckham [Apr. 27, 2003]
England's captain on keeping his life in balance: "Never say never"
Players Behaving Badly [Jan. 14, 2002]
More English footballers wind up in the courts, prompting questions about discipline off the pitch
Home-Field Advantage [Feb. 27, 2001]
Are some foreign football stars playing for European teams with the assistance of bogus passports?
Back to the Bad Old Days
[Oct. 14, 2002]
English fans were at their worst at last week's Euro 2004 qualifying match against Slovakia
No Money, No Kickoff [Aug. 25, 2002]
Reality bites, and Italian teams are forced to take drastic action
Pink, Proud And Scoring [May. 14, 2001]
Spain's Alav s proves soccer success doesn't always require big bucks
In The Football Business [Sep. 7, 2003]
The true cost of a kick in the grass
Play and Pay [Jul. 30, 2001]
European soccer's big leagues are eager to recruit Japanese players and not just for their ball skills
Search all issues of TIME Magazine
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| Saturday, June 7, 2008 |
UEFA Euro 2008
Austia & Switzerland |
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