Greece does not have an illustrious history at the World Cup, but the European nation has a chance to make a run this year after being placed into one of the less competitive groups of the tournament? Can the 2004 European champions finally put on a solid performance in the world's biggest tournament?
History
The nation missed on the tournaments dating from 1930 all the way through 1990. Greece debuted in the World Cup in 1994 in the United States but did little to show itself as a major soccer nation. In three games the team finished with three losses and failed to score a single goal. For their efforts they finished as the worst team in the entire tournament.
After missing the tournament in 1998, 2002 and 2006, Greece finally reasserted itself in 2010 but finished in 25 with a record of one win and two losses in three group games. The team was drawn into a group that included Nigeria, South Korea and Argentina. Despite defeating Nigeria 2-1, Greece was defeated by Korea and Argentina in its other two games.
How did they qualify?
The Greeks were placed into an "easy" qualifying group that included the likes of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia and Liechtenstein. The Greeks managed eight wins, one draw and one loss in 10 games but finished second due to a huge goal differential difference with Bosnia and Herzegovina, which also finished with the same record. Bosnia scored 30 goals and conceded six; Greece scored 12 and conceded four.
The Greeks lost 3-1 at Bosnia and Herzegovina and only managed a 1-1 draw at home.
In the ensuing playoff, Greece took down Romania 4-2 on aggregate.
Top Players
At age 37, one wonders if captain Giorgos Karagounis will get a chance to play in the tournament. If he does he will be among the oldest players in this summer's World Cup. He has 10 goals in 132 appearances for the team and will likely be on the bench. Kostas Katsouranis has also played in a plethora of matches for Greece, but at age 34, his spot is also dubious at best.
26-year-old Kostas Mitroglou scored three of the four goals against Romania in the playoff and will be counted on to score the goals for the team. Giorgos Samaras is also a solid forward for the team. Dimitris Salpingidis has 13 goals in 73 appearances for the club.
Can they get out of the group stage?
Greece has to get past the likes of Colombia, Japan and the Ivory Coast in the group stage. Even though Colombia is expected to be a contender to win the tournament, Los Cafeteros have been perennial underachievers in this tournament throughout their history. The same goes for the Ivorians who have never gotten past the group stage. Japan is a solid side that could get out of the group and provides the major challenge for Greece.
Can they win it all?
Despite the favorable group, it is hard to imagine the Greeks getting past Colombia and Japan. While the European side is strong at defending, it does not have the goal scoring to compete. Expect them to finish third or fourth in the group.
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