Greece defy the odds to become European champions

Published on Monday 5 July 2004 01:09

SO MIRACLES do happen, after all. Greece completed one of the biggest upsets in football history last night when the 80-1 Euro 2004 outsiders lifted the trophy at the expense of the hosts, Portugal, in Lisbon.

Greece, who had never previously won a match at a major tournament, took the Henri Delaunay Trophy thanks to a 57th-minute header by striker Angelos Charisteas.

They then displayed the tenacious defending that had taken them to the final, holding off Portugal in a frantic last-minute assault. The victory was a triumph for Greece’s German coach, Otto Rehhagel, who turned his adopted country from international also-rans to the cream of the Continent in less than three years, becoming the first foreign coach to win either the European Championship or World Cup.

The result ended the dreams of Portugal, also appearing in their first final, and underlined again that Greece’s 2-1 victory over the hosts in the tournament’s first game was no fluke.

Victory over France in the quarter-finals made them the first team to beat the hosts and defending champions in the same competition, and they reached the final with a superb win against the Czech Republic.

Across the world, including New York, Melbourne and London, millions of jubilant fans poured on to the streets to celebrate. In Athens, a crowd chanted: "If this is a dream, then don’t wake me up."

But at least one fan wasn’t surprised. William Hill revealed that a Greek man from Woking, Surrey, will pick up 332,000 after staking 24,500 on his national team to win.