Feet on the ground after triumph
After soaring to the greatest victory in their history, Euro 2004 outsiders Greece were keeping their feet on the ground yesterday. Greece’s coach Otto Rehhagel had his players on the training pitch the morning after their stunning 2-1 victory over hosts Portugal in the opening game. «It’s a great victory. That has sunk in now,» said Takis Fyssas, a key element in Greece’s iron defense. «Now we’ve got to keep ourselves grounded.» Greece’s next match is against group favorite Spain on Wednesday. Renowned for instilling German discipline in the Greek team, Rehhagel ensured there was no champagne celebration among players. However he couldn’t resist a smile at the suggestion from a Greek journalist that, if he returned to Athens and stood in the European Parliament elections held yesterday, he’d scoop 100 percent of the vote. «I’m no politician. I just want everybody to be happy.» Fyssas, who plays for Lisbon’s Benfica, offered words of comfort for the Portuguese: «I live here. I know how people here love football. I’m very sorry for all the people. Portugal is a good team. It’s not over for them.» (AP)
