After coming out of nowhere six years ago to win at UEFA EURO 2004, Greece continues to go against all logical odds under the tutelage of crafty coach Otto Rehhagel, and have qualified for just their second FIFA World Cup finals tournament in history.
Given the majestic status "King Otto" has enjoyed since that victory on Portuguese soil, letting Rehhagel go may have been considered unthinkable by most. Even though his failure to reach Germany 2006 and a weak group-stage exit at EURO 2008 had turned up the heat on the German star, the Greek FA remained faithful, and have been rewarded in turn by Greece's qualification for their first World Cup in sixteen years.
Greece kicked off the South Africa qualifying in an impressive manner; earning victories over Luxembourg, Latvia, and Moldova, scoring eight times themselves, while shutting out all three opponents in the process.
The 2004 European titleholders experienced their first loss in Group 2, falling 2-1 at home to Switzerland, Greece's strongest rivals for an automatic qualifying bid. After rebounding with four points from a double-header versus Israel – tying 1-1 away and winning 2-1 at home – the Israelis then bested the Greeks once more, this time by a 2-0 margin on Swiss soil.
Rehhagel's squad then allowed the Swiss to increase their advantage in the standings by only tying 1-1 in Moldova, an outcome which also brought Latvia back into the picture for second-place. However, a 5-2 drubbing of Latvia in Greece's final group match basically clinched a playoff berth, with the Greek's sealing the deal on the final day with their 2-1 win over Luxembourg.
The European Zone playoff matchups pitted veteran captain Georgios Karagounis' team against Ukraine, the club which had taken four points Greece in Group 2 qualifying for Germany 2006. This time around, however, following a 0-0 draw in Athens, Greece snatched a 1-0 second-leg victory in Donetsk, with the decisive goal coming from striker Dimitrios Salpingidis.
There is definitely not a shortage of talent or experience for Rehhagel to call on once South Africa 2010 rolls around. High on the list of veteran performers are defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos, who played more qualifying minutes than any other player, and former Inter Milan and Benfica mid-fielder Karagounis. Don't be fooled, as the Greeks are definitely not lacking upfront either, given the likes of ten-goal striker Theofanis Gekas – the top scorer in European Zone qualifying – and the physical presence of his four-goal counterpart, Angelos Charisteas, who netted the winning goal EURO 2004 final.
