Greece to face ghosts of the past
Greece will face Argentina, Nigeria and South Korea, while the Socceroos will line-up against Germany, Serbia and Ghana.
A glamorous affair saw the World Cup drawn by a host of stars past and present including German legend Franz Beckenbauer (left) and English pop-star and part-time footballer David Beckham (right).
Photo: AP Photo/Denis Farrell
Greece will face Argentina, Nigeria and South Korea in the World Cup in South Africa next year, following Friday’s draw. O
tto Rehhagel ear-marked Argentina as the clear favourite, but said second spot was open for each of the other three challengers.
Meanwhile, Australia could be heading for an early exit after being drawn in a deceptively tough group.
The Aussies will face three-time champions Germany in their opening game.
In a coincidence, two of the three teams, Argentina and Nigeria, in Group B were also in Greece’s group the only other time it has qualified for a World Cup, in the USA in 1994.
Then, in a disastrous campaign, Greece had lost 4-0 to Argentina, 2-0 to Nigeria and 4-0 to semi-finalists Bulgaria.
Greece will encounter at least one familiar face, Argentinean superstar Maradona, who scored against the national side in the USA but who is now coaching his country’s national team.
“Argentina are the favourites,” said Greece coach Otto Rehhagel. “But we must not forget that Nigeria will also be playing on African soil and are a good side as well.”
The German sought to play down expectations of Greece being one of the two sides that would qualify from the group for the knockout round of the last 16.
“We can qualify from the group if all the players are fit and we play well but all that is six months away and to say anything else now would be pure speculation,” he said before reminding Greeks that reaching South Africa after a play-off against Ukraine was an achievement in itself.
“We should not forget that we should be happy to have qualified for the World Cup at the last minute,” he said.
Rehhagel continued, “Argentina will be the clear favourites in our group, they are number one. They are a very good and dangerous side, I think all the teams in the group will struggle against them.
“I think it is only fair to say that the three other teams will be aiming for second. So it is up to all of us to fight for the second spot and I think we all have an equal chance of getting to the second round,” the 2004 European Cup winning coach said.
“We have to start well and work hard to stay in South Africa for the knockout stages - that will be our main aim. Once you are in the knockout stages, then anything is possible,” Rehhagel said.
“I don’t want to make any predictions, I’m not good at that. From here, we need to study our opponents and plan ahead,” he concluded.
Rehhagel’s men will begin their campaign against South Korea in Port Elizabeth on June 12.
Greece will play Nigeria in Bloemfontein on June 17, and their last group game will be against Argentina in Polokwane on June 22.
Australians awoke to the news of the draw, which pits 21st-ranked Australia against Germany, Ghana and Serbia in South Africa 2010.
Only African powerhouses Ghana are ranked below Australia on the FIFA world rankings at 37 and the most Australian football fans believe it is one of the hardest groups in the tournament.
But Schwarzer, whose parents are German and played his early European football with Dynamo Dresden and Kaiserslautern, is relishing the challenge against Germany in Durban on June 13.
- Show full page
- Login or register to post comments
Advertisement
-
We should accept gay marriage(7)
-
Greek lobby mixed efforts in Canberra(4)
-
Hellenic line in the sand(4)
-
The politics of transition in Greek Australian community organisations(4)
-
Greece Reaps the Fruits of Corruption(4)
-
Why can’t they flirt?(3)
More from this Section
- Slow Greece lose to Senegal 2-0
- Irrepressible Cisse fires PAO to top spot
- Sydney Olympic punish weakened Sharks
- Dominant South in VPL Season opener
- PAOK top after thrashing Xanthi
- Rome laid to ruin by Panathinaikos
- “We can turn this result around” - Papadopoulos
- Socceroos send-off may come up short
- Serepisos to bankroll Wellington Pheonix
- Olympiakos lose 1-0 to Bordeaux
-
If Athens were a mysterious brown paper package, it would tick. Guy Rundle continues his exploration of Greece's seemingly cyclical political upheaval.
-
An inquiry on obesity headed by MP Steve Georganas recommends tax breaks for gyms, bariatic surgery and Medicare for weight loss programs.
-
The ALP National Conference in Sydney downgraded the ALP's position on the Cyprus and excluded the Cyprus issue from Labor's Foreign Affairs platform.
-
Nicholas Damilatos from Sovereign Weddings gives you simple tips on how to overcome your common wedding dilemmas.
-
Thane Nikiou, who loves lamb on the spit, and describes himself best as competitive, is our Young Greek of the Week.
-
Zoe Carides latest endeavor involves her premiering in an episode of a new U.S. miniseries called The Pacific.
-
The committal hearing of Theo Theophanous saw the alleged victim appear before the court and testimony from witnesses who contradicted many of her claims.
-
A review of Eric Bana's directorial debut about his obsession with a Ford XP Coupe GT and motor racing.
-
An extension of a property in Antiparos has landed Tom Hanks and his Greek wife, Rita Wilson, in trouble.
-
The fast-disappearing traditions of hand made embroidery and the small-scale production of loukoumia in Lefkara, Cyprus are seeking UNESCO assistance for their preservation.
-
The Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has called on his Ministers to focus on improving the Greek economy and called for a battle on tax evasion.
-
An inquiry into the dealings of the Brimbank City Council by the Victorian Ombudsman are coming to a close, according to Jeanette Powell, Shadow Minister for Local Government.
-
Tragedy strike St Catherine's Greek Orthodox Church in East Malvern.
-
Jeana Vithoulkas tells how a visit to a photographic exhibition with an old friend changed their view of each other.
-
The Hellenic Emergency Relief Fund is holding a function in Sydney to raise funds for Haiti.
-
What started out as a night out with friends saw a 20 year old Greek male fatally stabbed at a Brisbane nightclub.
-
A review of Pinter's darkly humorous The Birthday Party which is unsettling and menacing for both actors and audience alike.
-
Kon Rekaris shares his experience of running Rekaris Shoes, one of Melbourne's leading makers of handmade shoes.
-
More than 30,000 people took to the streets of Athens on Thursday as part of the second nationwide strike in Greece against the austerity measures announced by the Papandreou government.
-
When someone says ‘Bluejuice,’ most people stare blankly. Those who have heard of the band respond, ‘Vitriol.’ And those in the know say, ‘Broken Leg.’ No one says, ‘Greek-Cypriot front-man.’ Thomas Andronas chatted with said front-man, Stav Yiannoukas.
-
George Xylouris is back to perform in Australia, where he learnt to meld diverse musical cultures.
-
Local double bass player and modern art music composer Nick Tsiavos
returns to the stage with the first of a two part concert series
entitled Is this what you believe? -
Following in the footsteps of such quality television shows as Gossip
Girl, One Tree Hill and The OC, MTV Greece has produced a Greek drama
series aimed at capturing the omnipresent Gen Y audience. -
Nicole Tsotras, who loves yiayia’s tiropita and describes herself best as passionate is our Young Greek of the Week.
-
Artemis Floratos Racovalis is one of the owners and the Director of Chocolate Master. She talked to Neos Kosmos.
-
The release of the Federal Government’s National Curriculum proposal and the review of which priority languages to include in the National Curriculum presents a historic window of opportunity to lobby for the teaching of the Modern Greek Language in Australia.
-
Dr Nick Economou opines: with a general election imminent Labor needed something big to restore its ascendency in the policy debate.
-
Yorgos Tserexidis and Dean Hewett, who met in St Kilda fifteen years ago, talk to FOTIS KAPETOPOULOS about their successful accommodation venture in the inner city of Athens.
