There were mixed emotions for victorious Greece pair Georgios Karagounis and Zisis Vryzas after their dramatic silver goal triumph over the Czech Republic sealed a place in the final of Euro 2004.
While Vryzas was jumping for joy at realising his dream, Karagounis was reflecting on the yellow card he received that rules him out of Sunday’s final against hosts Portugal.
It is his second suspension in the tournament. He missed the final group clash with Russia after picking up two yellow cards against the Portuguese and then the Spanish.
Vryzas was substituted in the first half of extra-time and watched from the bench as Traianos Dellas headed a dramatic winner in the 105th minute of Thursday’s gripping semifinal.
”It was such a marvellous moment, a dream come true,” said the 30-year-old striker, who last season won promotion to Serie A with Italian club Fiorentina.
”We deserved this success, but it wasn’t easy as the Czechs are a great side.
”We knew that defending was our priority and it wasn’t easy for me as I had to track back a lot, but all the hard work was worth it in the end.”
Karagounis, who also plays in Italy with Inter Milan, admitted his joy at seeing Greece reach their first ever final was tempered by his one-match ban that means he will watch his team-mates from the stands.
”Above all, I feel happiness for the team, but I can’t help feeling a little angry with myself for the booking” said the 27-year-old.
Asked if he thought his yellow card for his tackle on Vladimir Smicer was harsh, Karagounis replied: ”I don’t know, I would like to see the incident again.
”I have to say that Pierluigi Collina is probably the best referee in the world and he doesn’t often make mistakes.
Despite his absence from the Lisbon final, Karagounis believes Greece can beat Portugal for a second time, having defeated them 2-1 in their opening group match and in which he scored the opening goal.
”They are the host nation and they will have plenty of support, but we had to cope with that last time and we won,” he said.
”We didn’t feel intimidated and in the end we were worthy winners.
”Their performances have improved since then and they were impressive against Holland in the semi-finals, but then again we are playing much better than we did in the group games.
”Our confidence is high and I don’t see why we shouldn’t be able to beat them again. We will see…” – Sapa-AFP