IT has been billed as the ultimate clash in footballing cultures. Tonight's Euro 2004 semi-final between the Czech Republic and Greece
is widely regarded as a face off between the artists and
artisans; a Czech team bristling with individual talent up against a Greek side who's path to the latter stages has been paved by defensive solidity and unity of purpose, factors which have compensated for their lack of genuine, world class talent.
However, nothing is as
it seems in Portugal this summer. Certainly, the Greeks do not boast box office names such as Pavel Nedved, the Juventus playmaker, Milan Baros, the Liverpool striker, Karel Poborsky of Sparta Prague and Jan Koller, who plays for Borussia Dortmund, but their individual talent is turning out to be prime plunder for Europe's top clubs.
At least two of the Greeks' top performers in this tournament may well be staying in Portugal. Champions League winners Porto have already snapped up Panathinaikos right-back Giourkas Seitaridis, who signed a three-year contract to replace Chelsea-bound Paulo Ferreira in the No.2 shirt. The 23-year-old right back has been one of the major success stories of the tournament.
He made an immediate impact as an attacking presence in the opening match when his raiding run into the area won the penalty against Portugal which led to the Greeks'
second goal in their 2-1 win. His performance against France in the quarter-final, meanwhile, when he man-marked Thierry Henry out of the game, also confirmed his defensive abilities.
He may be joined at the
Portuguese champions next season by his international
colleague Angelos Charisteas. Press speculation in Portugal strongly suggests that the Werder Bremen forward could also make Porto his permanent home next season. However, the player refuses to look beyond tonight's match: ''I am very concentrated on the match and Mr Rehhagel [the Greece manager] does not want any distractions,'' he stated.
They cannot afford any. The free-scoring Czechs will take some stopping. They are the only unbeaten side left in the tournament and possess key players at the top of their game. It looks to be the Greeks' stiffest test yet, but they could argue that their opening victory over Portugal and a 1-0 quarter-final defeat of France were more seismic shocks.
It will certainly be a welcome return to the Estadio do Dragao (Dragon Stadium), where they shocked the hosts in that
first match of the tournament. Goals from Georgios Karagounis and a penalty from Angelis Basinas did the damage that day, though Charisteas turned in an impressive performance.
In their following match with Spain, Charisteas netted an important equaliser to give the Greeks a 1-1 draw, then set up Zisis Vryzas against Russia to score the goal which took them into the quarters against France.
However, it was against the European champions when he finally came of age with a crucial 65th-minute headed goal. ''Watch out. We intend to carry on producing a few surprises,'' said Charisteas ahead of tonight's match. ''For that to happen we will have to perform at the same level as we did against France.
''Their [the Czechs] 3-0 win over Denmark shows what a good side they are although tonight's match will be a different game entirely. It is certainly not going to be easy for us against a team whose quality we all recognise and which has improved immensely over the last few years. But we are very confident. Why should we not play in the final?''
Karel Bruckner, the Czech Republic coach, may have the answer to that question in Baros, the tournament's leading goalscorer with five. Baros has surprised many by the impact he has made in Portugal. The schizophrenic nature of his club and international career is certainly a head-scratcher.
The striker was kicking his heels on the Liverpool bench for the last four months of the season and even before that he struggled to become a first-team regular at Anfield. But he has set this tournament alight with goals in every game and a superb second-half double in the 3-0 quarter-final victory over Denmark. With 21 in 29 international matches, his 0.72 goals per game ratio is the best in national team history.
But Bruckner has not been surprised by Baros's return to goalscoring form. He said: ''I don't see why people seem to think I have some kind of secret with Mr Baros. He has a very big instinct for scoring goals and I find it quite natural that he has become the top scorer in the competition.''
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