A hard working performance and an opportunistic Giorgios Karagounis
strike saw Greece sneak a 1-0 win over Russia to seal their Euro 2012
progress and send their opponents home.

Despite being under pressure for large parts of the game the Greeks took
the lead in first-half stoppage time as Karagounis punished some sloppy
defending with a neat finish. And his side remained resolute in
defence throughout the second half to secure a famous victory which,
coupled with the Czech Republic`s win over Poland, meant Russia finished
third in Group B.And his side remained resolute in defence throughout the second half to
secure a famous victory which, coupled with the Czech Republic`s win
over Poland, meant Russia finished third in Group B.The Ethniki
came into the game knowing they needed a win to ensure qualification and
they were the first to draw a save from the opposing keeper. Karagounis` near-post delivery was flicked on target by Kostas
Katsouranis but Vyacheslav Malafeev clawed the ball away at full
stretch.Russia responded positively, and three minutes later
Alan Dzagoev broke in from the right following a quick throw. Andrey
Arshavin got on the end of his cross 10 yards from goal and Michalis
Sifakis was forced to parry the ball away. Dick Advocaat`s side
were in the ascendancy and moments later had two great chances to go
ahead. Firstly, Aleksandr Kerzhakov failed in his quest to get his first
shot of the tournament on target as his volley bent agonisingly wide of
the far post. Then, Yuri Zhirkov`s cutback for Dzagoev was intercepted
by Katsouranis.By the half-hour mark the Russians had taken control of the match but
were more often than not being restricted to shooting from range. Yet,
when in possession, the Greeks lacked ambition and committed minimal
numbers to their attacks.Zhirkov fired over five minutes before
the break but Fernando Santos` side held out and in stoppage time
Karagounis fired Greece into a surprise lead. A misplaced header by
Sergey Ignashevich was capitalised on by the 35-year-old who capped his
120th international appearance - a statistic equalling the country`s
all-time record - by surging into the area and slamming a low shot
underneath Malafeev.
Roman Pavlyuchenko replaced the profligate
Kerzhakov at half-time but the Russians continued to struggle against
the resilient Ethniki defence. Their woes were best summed up when, with
space limited in the final third, Igor Denisov shot from distance only
to see his effort swing wide.The Group of Shocks - Russia go from contenders to casualties as Greece & Czechs celebrateGreece
remained a threat on the counterattack and after Aleksandr Anyukov
somehow cleared Vasilis Torosidis` cross away from inside the six yard
box, Karagounis received a booking that will keep him out of the next
match for diving in the area though it looked like a certain penalty.
Santos
signalled his intent to see out the game with the solitary goal by
replacing striker Theofanis Gekas with left-back Jose Holebas 25 minutes
from time. But the Ethniki almost extended their lead in the 70th
minute when Gergios Tzavellas` beautifully struck free kick rattled the
frame of the goal.In their desperation to find an equaliser
Advocaat`s side became extremely disjointed and another long-range
attempt from Denisov was saved by Sifakis. With five minutes of normal
time remaining Dzagoev came close to restoring parity but his header
from Arshavin`s cross shaved the outside of the post.
And the
Greeks held out to secure their passage to the quarter-finals whilst
Russia - who had shown so much promise in their opening game against the
Czech Republic - face an early flight home.The Group of Shocks - Russia go from contenders to casualties as Greece & Czechs celebrateGreece
remained a threat on the counterattack and after Aleksandr Anyukov
somehow cleared Vasilis Torosidis` cross away from inside the six yard
box, Karagounis received a booking that will keep him out of the next
match for diving in the area though it looked like a certain penalty. Santos
signalled his intent to see out the game with the solitary goal by
replacing striker Theofanis Gekas with left-back Jose Holebas 25 minutes
from time. But the Ethniki almost extended their lead in the 70th
minute when Gergios Tzavellas` beautifully struck free kick rattled the
frame of the goal.
In their desperation to find an equaliser
Advocaat`s side became extremely disjointed and another long-range
attempt from Denisov was saved by Sifakis. With five minutes of normal
time remaining Dzagoev came close to restoring parity but his header
from Arshavin`s cross shaved the outside of the post.
And the
Greeks held out to secure their passage to the quarter-finals whilst
Russia - who had shown so much promise in their opening game against the
Czech Republic - face an early flight home.
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