Thursday Sep 29 2005 10:17
Greece boss Otto Rehhagel believes that his side are on the verge of creating history after drawing 1-1 with Spain.
The result coupled with their shock 2-1 victory over hosts Portugal in the opening game of the tournament has left Greece almost certain to qualify for the quarter-finals.
According to Rehhagel their position at the top of the Group A table is all down to the determination and positive approach they have shown in the two games.
"We wanted to play with the same passion that we had given when we beat Portugal on Saturday," he said after the draw with Spain.
"That meant we did run the risk of picking up bookings, but I felt we played very well and the risks were worth taking in the end.
"We showed the same effort and desire as we had done in the first match, and we found we were facing a team that moved the ball around far better than Portugal had done.
"We found ourselves under great pressure in the last 15 minutes and we have to improve on our ability to control that phase of the game.
"We allowed them to come at us and we found it very difficult to break out and relieve the pressure.
"But the result went the way we wanted in the end and now we have a fantastic opportunity to achieve something for Greek football that has never been achieved before."
Not everything at the tournament is to Rehhagel's satisfaction though, with the colour of the nets being used not to his liking.
He added: "They are an absolute catastrophe and could only be the work of some bureaucrat and not some footballer.
"Fans want to see the ball go into the nets, white nets, not these ugly black ones.
"This is not an event where we should mourn, this is a celebration, and that is all I have to say on this."
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