Valuable draw earned in Oslo

Greece maintains lead in its Euro 2008 qualifying group with a 2-2 score against Norway

Defender Sotiris Kyrgiakos opens the scoring for Greece with a diving header in the seventh minute. He put Greece ahead twice in the first half but the Norwegians responded both times before the break.

Greece raced ahead twice with first-half goals from central defender Sotiris Kyrgiakos but was pegged back by Norway on both occasions for a 2-2 draw in Oslo last night that sent the national team a big way closer to the Euro 2008 finals in Austria and Switzerland.

The national team, looking to make next summer’s finals to defend its European title, leads Group C, two points ahead of Norway, which has played an additional game, and Turkey, a 3-0 winner over 10-man Hungary in Istanbul.

Greece is on 19 points from eight games. Norway and Turkey, the group’s other main contenders, are on 17 points. The top two qualify.

All four goals in Oslo came in the first half of a game played with speed and intensity. Kyrgiakos opened the encounter’s scoring in the seventh minute of play with a diving header from close range.

But Norway, which went into the game seeking three points and top spot, leveled nine minutes later with a John Carew header won after a rugged tussle with Kyrgiakos.

The goal came after considerable pressure from the Norwegians that included four corners between the 11th and 15th minutes.

Greece responded, though, and regained the lead in the 29th minute, with a second goal from Kyrgiakos, who followed up on his own header, saved by Norwegian goalkeeper Hakon Opdal.

Liverpool defender John Arne Riise made it 2-2 in the 39th minute with a powerful long-range drive. Greece goalkeeper Costas Chalkias got his gloves on Riise’s shot, but the ball hit the crossbar and bounced into the net.

In Istanbul, Brazilian-born Mehmet Aurelio scored his first international goal for Turkey last night in his team’s 3-0 win over Hungary. Gokhan Unal put the hosts ahead in the 69th minute, jumping to head in a cross from midfielder Tuncay Sanli.

Aurelio then extended the lead in the 72nd. Halil Altintop made in 3-0 in injury time. Hungary played with 10 men for almost 30 minutes because Zoltan Gera was red-carded in the 63rd. (Kathimerini/AP)