GREECE'S final Euro 2008 warm-up encounter against Armenia ended in an anti-climax after the reigning European champions were held to a goalless draw on Sunday.
Following a 3-2 defeat to Hungary in their last outing, the onus was on Otto Rehhagel's men to show their credentials ahead of their Group D opener against Sweden in Salzburg on June 10.
But the Greeks failed to rise to the challenge in a match played in Offenbach, Germany, and never really got out of first gear, their best chance to score coming in the first half when Angelos Charisteas failed to capitalise on a defensive error.
Rehhagel restored his regular three-man midfield of captain Angelos Basinas, Georgios Karagounis and Kostas Katsouranis, but their passing was not up to its usual standard with the final ball too often failing to reach its intended target.
It took 30 minutes for Greece to register a serious attacking threat when Karagounis burst down the left and clipped the ball into the box for striker Dimitris Salpigidis, whose header sailed over the crossbar.
That seemed to rouse the Euro 2004 winners and the best chance of the match came seven minutes later when a right-wing cross from Giourkas Seitaridis was spilled by Armenia goalkeeper Gevorg Kasparov.
Charisteas failed to convert from close range, however, and the chance was lost.
Rehhagel made a flurry of substitutions - five at half-time - which interrupted any rhythm generated by the Greeks, and the second half passed without any real goal threat from either side after striker Georgios Samaras, who replaced Salpigidis at the interval, saw his shot saved by Kasparov six minutes into the second half.
Rehhagel will see the match as a missed opportunity to restore some much-needed confidence to his side ahead of their Euro opener against the Swedes, but the German can take comfort in the fact that their opponents on June 10 lost their final friendly 1-0 against Ukraine.
But the Greeks failed to rise to the challenge in a match played in Offenbach, Germany, and never really got out of first gear, their best chance to score coming in the first half when Angelos Charisteas failed to capitalise on a defensive error.
Rehhagel restored his regular three-man midfield of captain Angelos Basinas, Georgios Karagounis and Kostas Katsouranis, but their passing was not up to its usual standard with the final ball too often failing to reach its intended target.
It took 30 minutes for Greece to register a serious attacking threat when Karagounis burst down the left and clipped the ball into the box for striker Dimitris Salpigidis, whose header sailed over the crossbar.
That seemed to rouse the Euro 2004 winners and the best chance of the match came seven minutes later when a right-wing cross from Giourkas Seitaridis was spilled by Armenia goalkeeper Gevorg Kasparov.
Charisteas failed to convert from close range, however, and the chance was lost.
Rehhagel made a flurry of substitutions - five at half-time - which interrupted any rhythm generated by the Greeks, and the second half passed without any real goal threat from either side after striker Georgios Samaras, who replaced Salpigidis at the interval, saw his shot saved by Kasparov six minutes into the second half.
Rehhagel will see the match as a missed opportunity to restore some much-needed confidence to his side ahead of their Euro opener against the Swedes, but the German can take comfort in the fact that their opponents on June 10 lost their final friendly 1-0 against Ukraine.
Copyright (c) Press Association
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