National soccer squad…
National soccer squad players Takis Fyssas (l) and Theodoros Zagorakis (r) joke during a training session in Athens yesterday, ahead of tomorrow’s encounter with Albania for the 2006 World Cup qualifiers. Following an away win against Georgia on Saturday, Greece is seeking a victory to consolidate its position among the leaders of its qualifying group, which includes the Ukraine, Denmark and Turkey. The national team’s effort to make it through to the World Cup finals, for the second time in its history, started inauspiciously as the defending European champions lost 2-1 to Albania last September in a match marred by ugly riots in Greece, during which one Albanian immigrant was stabbed to death and several were injured. Tomorrow’s game will be held under tight security, and without Albanian fans in the stands.
