Greece failed in their effort to qualify to the European Championship finals after suffering a second loss to Turkey (3-2), this time at home on Sunday.

Once again the national team could not live up to expectations and lost at Iraklion in front of 3,000 Greeks who created a wonderful atmosphere.

Turkey practically needed just one set, having won 3-1 at home with a significant points difference in their favour (+25).

They did not have to wait long as they thrashed Greece 25-15 in the first set and went on to land the second one, too (25-21).

Urged on by the fans, Greece recovered and took the next two sets from a particularly relaxed Turkey (25-20, 25-18).

Yet Greece were not organised well enough to avert a second defeat and lost the tie-break 15-11 to leave the court with their heads down.

The national team have therefore missed out on the European Championship finals for the first time after four consecutive appearances (from 2003 to 2009).

US coach Gordon Mayforth said that “we have to move forward. I am here, I have a contract until 2012 and I am making my plans for the future. We certainly failed to reach our target, but we go on.”

Yet when asked about the American coach’s future, the president of the Greek federation Achilleas Mavrommatis said “we have nothing to say right now about the future of the American.”

Disappointed with themselves and the result, the players were inconsolable: “We have hit rock bottom,” said blocker Andreas Andreadis. “We did not deserve to qualify,” added libero Achilleas Papadimitriou.