Unlikely Greeks through as Russians salvage pride

Russia 2 Greece 1

Greece survived conceding the fastest ever goal in European Championships history to edge into the quarter-finals of Euro 2004 by the skin of their teeth.

It took Russia striker Dmitri Kirichenko just 68 seconds to claim his side’s first goal of the tournament, and when Dmitri Bulykin added a second with 17 minutes gone, the Greeks’ fairytale appeared to be turning into a nightmare.

But the Russians squandered a series of opportunities to increase their lead before the break and Otto Rehhagel’s men hit back two minutes before the break through Zissis Vryzas to clinch their place in the last eight on goals scored at the expense of Spain, who went down 1-0 to hosts Portugal on a dramatic night at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon.

The Russians will head for home disappointed but at least having tasted victory, and they might have put the cat among the pigeons three minutes from time when Alexei Bugaev drilled in a cross which only just evaded Kirichenko, Rolan Gusev and substitute Dmitri Sychev.

If Greek fans could hardly believe that their side had defeated the hosts in the opening game of the tournament, they arrived at the Estadio Algarve knowing that a place in the quarter-finals was firmly within their grasp.

However, the Russians walked out on to the pitch still to score a goal, claim a point or indeed finish a game with 11 men after a distinctly ordinary start to their campaign and under orders to change that.

Coach Georgi Yartsev rang the changes himself as no fewer than seven of the men who started Wednesday night’s 2-0 defeat by Portugal were missing, only two of them – keeper Sergey Ovchinnikov and skipper Alexei Smertin, who were suspended – enforced.

But even he cannot have expected his selection policy to pay dividends to such effect and so quickly.

The game was only 68 seconds old when Gusev, who was to be a key figure in the opening 45 minutes, slid the ball into the path of Kirichenko, and he needed no second invitation to prod it past defender Traianos Dellas and thump a shot beyond stranded keeper Antonis Nikopolidis.

Russia were running amok and they went further ahead on 17 minutes when Bulykin lost his marker to meet a Gusev corner with a diving header which sent the ball screaming into the net.

Greece were floundering and they should have been dead and buried with 24 minutes gone when Bulykin chested the ball down for Andrei Kariaka, who made the most of Angelis Basinas’ slip to break free but blazed his shot high over with the goal at his mercy.

Charisteas, however, proved he could be just as wasteful seconds later when he skied his shot from a Stylianos Venetidis cross with the whole goal to aim at, and his side was almost made to pay.

Bulykin was allowed to meet a 28th-minute Gusev corner unmarked but, fortunately for Nikopolidis, his header clipped the outside of the post and ran to safety.

However, Rehhagel’s men grasped a lifeline with two minutes of the half remaining when Vryzas pounced on Dimitrios Papadopoulos’ knock-down to fire home from close range, and hope was restored.

Yartsev introduced Igor Semshov and Dmitri Sychev in place of Kariaka and Bulykin at the break and his side responded much as they had done after the first whistle to pin the Greeks back once again.

News of Portugal’s goal sent a ripple of excitement around the stadium with 57 minutes gone as the implications dawned on the Greek supporters.

But there was no room for relaxation, a point which was emphasised when Kirichenko sent an overhead kick over the bar on the hour and then Sychev tested Nikopolidis with a long-range effort seconds later.

Greece were creating little of any note, a wild shot from Theo Zagorakis seven minutes later which flew high over the crossbar as close as they came to involving keeper Viacheslav Malafeev.

Rehhagel replaced Dimitrios Papadopoulos with Demis Nikolaidis on 70 minutes, but it was the Russians who threatened six minutes later when Kirichenko cut inside and forced a good save from Nikopolidis.

But opposite number Malafeev had to be at his best 12 minutes from time when substitute Vassilios Tsiartis curled a free-kick around the defensive wall.

In a desperately tense conclusion with one eye on events in Lisbon, Russia might have snatched a third goal at the death when Bugaev’s cross screeched across goal but evaded the three white shirts homing in on it.

And the final whistle was followed by confirmation of Portugal’s victory to spark joyous celebrations for both the Greeks and the locals in the crowd.