Greece (National Football)

I think it would be difficult to find anyone on this planet who expected the final match of Group B between Greece and Argentina to be anything less than a walkover for the Argentinian team.

After two matches in which we witnessed some of the worst goalkeeping in history, Alexandros Tzorvas finally got his act together for the third and final match, and showed some real talent against one of the strongest contenders in this year's competition.

Sadly for Greece, this was most definitely a case of "too little, too late."  The strategy of the Greek team was visually similar to that employed so successfully by Switzerland against Spain and also by North Korea against Brazil.

While that tight defensive play definitely paid off for Switzerland and allowed North Korea to throw a serious scare into Brazil (who would ever have seen that coming?), for Greece it was not the right time to be attempting this style of play.

They were fighting for second place on the table against a team that had beaten them in the opening match, and that team was playing against a team that Greece had only narrowly managed to beat with a team of 11 against 10.

It was clear from the previous match against Nigeria that the strength of the Greek team was in attack rather than defense.

Of course, there was not really much choice, as Argentina clearly owned the game and controlled the ball for most of the duration.  Still, the Argentinians made occasional errors, allowing Greece to take momentary possession, but those opportunities were not taken full advantage of.

By the end of the first half, Greece had not fired a single shot, while their opponents had taken eight, forcing saves from Tzorvas four times.  All of those saves were brilliant, but no counter-attack was forthcoming.

Greece had some hope to finish second in Group B, and possibly could have done so if Nigeria had beaten South Korea, so an effort to simply shut down Argentina was not entirely foolish.

In fact, the strategy worked for all of 77 minutes.  Martin Demichelis went for a shot at goal with his head, only to have it bounce off a teammate, but more than made up for that with a brilliant left foot slap that sent the ball pounding into the top of the net.

The problem for Greece was that they were playing against a much better team, and even though they did a great job of defensively smothering the penalty box, there was always a feeling that it was just a matter of time before a mistake would be made, allowing an Argentinian player to slip through a gap and score.

A few minutes later Palermo came on to replace Diego Milito and almost immediately inflicted some punishment, scoring Argentina's second goal and sealing the fate of the Greeks for the 2010 World Cup.

Now, of course, this match was a fine effort for Greece and their standard of play should be respected for what it was.  Indeed, nothing less than a first-class defensive game that simply did not work out.

In particular, Tzorvas and Georgios Samaras were the standout players for Greece.

But it's clear that this was the standard required in the earlier matches. If Greece could have done that, they would not now be heading home with nothing to show for their efforts.

Hopefully, some lessons were learned here in 2010, and future Greek teams will bear in mind the importance of treating every opponent—no matter what their standing in the FIFA rankings—as a potential threat to success.

"It's all up to you." Every coach can use that line in order to get their respective team to the next round. With all four team still alive for a knockout spot, anything and everything will go in Tuesday's late games.

Argentina-Greece and South Korea-Nigeria will determine who advances to the knockout round in this year World Cup. Argentina is in first place with six points with victories over Nigeria and South Korea. South Korea is in second place with three points with a win over Greece. Greece is in third place with three points with a victory over Nigeria. In last place with two losses is Nigeria.

Goal differential will be the key to who advances in Group B. With the possibility of three teams having three or six points, the two teams with the higher goal differential will advance.  This is how Nigeria can advance with a win over South Korea and a Greece loss to Argentina. With South Korea, Greece, and Nigeria all tied at three points, Nigeria will have the better differential and advance.

South Korea and Greece will both be eliminated with a loss tomorrow. A Greek win or tie along with a South Korean loss would advance the Greeks. A win by both teams would come down to goal differential. Argentina would probably advance in this scenerio as it would be hard for either Greece or South Korea to erase Argentina's plus-4 in goal differential.

When Nigeria takes on South Korea, the Nigerians will again relly on goalie Vincent Enyeama to keep them in the game. Enyeama has been the goalie of the tournament so far and has kept his team in both games. Scoring has been a problem for the Nigerians, but they might be able to crack the middle of the South Korean defense that was shredded by Argentina for four goals. Kanu, Martins, and the rest of the Nigerian strikers should be licking their chops against this defense.

South Korea should be able to control the midfield against Nigeria. Park Ji-Sung and Lee Chung-Yong should find space in the midfield to control and set up the South Korean attack. With the Nigerians needing to win the game and hoping Argentina does the same, the Nigerian defense and midfield will be open a little more. 

I think the Nigerians will pull a minor upset and beat South Korea by a score of 2-1. The middle of South Korea defense is poor at best.  Even with Nigeria banged up in the defense the Nigerian's still have an elite goalie in Enyeama. Enyeama and the Nigerian forwards will be enough to get them a win.

Greece-Argentina is a mismatch on paper. Argentina offensive firepower, led by Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Diego Milito, and Carlos Tevez, can cause havoc on any defense. Add Javier Mascherano, Maxi Rodriguez, and Angel Di Maria in the midfield, and anyone of these seven players can put it into the net.  The only question to ask who will play for Argentina?  Does Diego Maradona rest players getting ready for the knockout round knowing only a miracle keeps them out of it? 

Already missing Jonas Gutierrez for the Greece game after picking up two yellow cards, does Maradona play Mascherano and Gabriel Heinze both with a yellow card? With a deep team to choose from Maradona has plenty of options to unleash on Greece.

Greece, coming off their first World Cup win, will need at least a tie or a win to advance. The Greeks must play a 90-minute match against Argentina if they are going to pull an upset. With all the firepower upfront for Argentina, the defense has played very shaky. Nigeria was able to get quality shots at the Argentinine net, but their finishing was poor. South Korea scored a goal and had constant pressure on the Argentina defense. Greece must score if they are to advance. Playing for a tie will not get them through unless Nigeria does them a favor.

In the last game Otto Rehhegal brought in Georgios Samaras in the 33rd minute and Greece awoke. Rehhegal must find that magic again with his lineup to get Greece into the next round. Greece will need to get more out of everyone if they are going to pull the upset. I expect Greece to come out with 5-3-2 formation to try to slow Argentina. Look for Greece to try to score off the counterattack and set pieces.

I think the game will come down to how well Greece keeps Messi and Co. in check.  If Argentina can score an early goal, it will be hard for Greece to come back and beat them.  Lucky for the Greeks they play Argentina when they really don't need the game. Greece will be able to score once against the Argentina defense and get a tie that will put them through to the next round.

When Nigeria scored on a free kick after 16 minutes the only thing I thought was here we go again. All that changed when Sani Keita was given a red card for a deliberate kick at Vasilis Torosidis in the 33rd minute. From then on Greece showed what they were all about and earned a 2-1 victory over Nigeria in Bloemfontein.

Over 31,000 fans watched history when Dimitri Salpagidis scored Greece's first World Cup goal off a deflection off Lukman Haruna to level the score at 1-1.

The goal was set up by a clever back pass from Kostas Katsouranis to a wide open Salpagidis who just missed leveling the score four minutes earlier after a tremendous save by Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama.

Knowing that a loss will eliminate them from advancing, the Greeks continued to press for the lead only to be denyied again by Enyeama. The Gods must have been smiling down on Greece because in the 58th minute after Chinedu Ogbuke shot wide on an open Greek net after Alexader Tzorvas blocked a Yakubu Aiyegbeni shot, the ball bounced right to Ogbuke who whiffed. The miscue would eventually cost Nigeria.

Catching a reprieve, Greece went back to the attack and again were stopped by the Nigerian keeper. First a Georgios Samaras header was pushed away in the 68th minute and Theofanis Gekas shot was blocked.  Not giving up Greece finally got the go ahead goal after Alexander Tziolis shot was mishandled by Enyeama and Vasilis Torosidis jumped on the loose ball and slotted it right into the net.  It gave Greece their first lead and was the reward after pounding the Nigerian net for 60 minutes.

After much criticism in game one vs South Korea, coach Otto Rehhegal made the move that jump started Greece in the World Cup.

After Nigeria went down to ten men, Rehhegal quickly introduced Georgios Samaras into the game and taking out Sokratis Papastathopoulos. The move allowed for more attacking and it worked. The normally defensive minded coach went on the offensive which gave the team a new life. Greece totaled 27 shots, 13 of them finding the goal.

The victory gives the Greeks three points and keeps them alive before the last game in Group B play against Argenitna on Tuesday. Argentina is in first place with six points but still hasn't clinched a spot in the knockout round. While a draw will get Argentina through it will only do so for Greece is Nigeria beats South Korea. With so much to be decided on Tuesday anything can happen.

Argentina vs South Korea

At first glance, South Korea don’t seem up to the task of beating Argentina. While Maradona’s choices had been criticized and for good reason, it seemed, the side certainly has the talent to prevent them from struggling to finish off the Koreans.

The Argentine back four did make a few slip ups against Nigeria, probably due to the unconventional choice of defenders. We’ll soon see if Maradona attempts to rectify this. They should certainly progress to the knock out rounds, but after that this side could struggle.

South Korea have never qualified for the knockout stages outside of their home country, and have never beaten a country from the Americas. This of course, doesn’t look like a great statistic for anybody backing the Asians. The team went above and beyond expectations when they hosted the World Cup, and repeating the magic doesn’t seem all too likely.

But miracles do happen, we’ve already seen one giant go down in the form of Spain, felled by Switzerland.

Greece vs Nigeria

Both these teams lost their first matches, and this could quickly become a contest to see if Greece will finish at the bottom of the group or not. The Greeks are not a bad side, but they don’t have the players to make it out of the group stages, especially after losing to South Korea.

Greece’s form doesn’t help matters too much either, as they’ve lost three of their last four matches at 2-0. In fact, if they fail to score in this match, they will equal Bolivia’s record of five successive games without a goal.

Nigeria should be going into this match as favorites, even if they’ve looked equally as poor as the Greeks. Recently they have been doing better, but only slightly. They’ve looked like a more threatening side and they do have some pretty good players in the back four even if you wouldn’t notice it by the way they have been playing.

France vs Mexico

France are certainly not the team that they once were, and they looked very lack lustre and didn't show any real drive.

Many people suggested that Zidane was running the show while he was playing for France. With the way they played against Uruguay they certainly looked as though they lacked proper leadership and a sense of direction. Mexico do look like the superior team at least they have the ability to create chances and put pressure on the other side.

The Mexicans may have some issues with midfielder Marquez who picked up a minor injury against South Africa, but the coach believes he should be fine to play.

France will have to up their game significantly if they are to have any chance at beating Mexico although they just don’t look capable.

Xavier: live scores and sports

 After watching the horrible performance on Saturday morning Greece needs to know the following, being there is no longer acceptable.  That was all well and good before 2004. Ever since winning the Euro championship Greece's standards can no longer be just making it, it has to be make an impact. Advancing out of the group stage should be the goal from now on.

Greece 2-0 loss to South Korea is a bad loss.  It was made even worse with the way they played.  Playing unorganized, disenchanted, heartless football was a disgrace. The players should have been embarrassed by this performance.  Coach Otto Rehhegal should be embarrassed by this display.

With that said its time to turn the page and start anew on Thursday morning. The veterans run of greatness that help this team qualify for Euro 2008 and this World Cup have has simply run out.  Angelos Charisteas, Christos Patsa, Kostas Katsouranis should not see the field again. I thank them for all they have giving to the team but its time to move on and let the younger players take Greece to the next level.

Start with the addition of Sotiris Ninis at attacking midfield spot.  Ninis' speed, creativity, passing was missing on Saturday against South Korea. Not including him into the lineup was a huge mistake.  This team needs a spark and your looking at your future that starts against Nigeria.

Moving Vasilis Torosidis to the midfield is move to allow for more of an offensive attack. The versatile Torosidis can play anywhere on the pitch and is now fully healthy, something he wasn't during the 2009-2010 season for Olympiacos.  Torosidis was tied for second in goals scored in qualifying with 3 along with Charisteas. The move to the midfield will also solidify the middle of the field with the expected return of Evangelos Moras and Sotiris Kygriakos at center back.

Nikos Spyropoulos should replace Torosidis in the back line.  Spyropoulos looks forward and adds an different element to this team. With an pinpoint left foot Spyropoulos can cross the ball with the best of them allowing for the forwards to keep the pressure on the opposing goalkeeper.

I would go with a lineup of Tzorvas (G), Spyropoulos (LB), Moras (CB), Kygriakos (CB), Seiteridis (RB), Torosidis (DMF), Ninis (AMF), Karagounis (M), Salpagidis (M), Kapetanos (F) Gekas (F).

This gives us a different look of some old and new players that can threaten all over the field. This lineup has a mix of speed and creativity from the forwards and midfielders and solid defense in front of the Greek goal. I look for Greece to win this game and keep its hope of advancing alive.  Final score Greece 2 Nigeria 1.

THREE games in and we have the first shock of the 2010 World Cup.

South Korea, ranked 47 in the world, was simply too much for Greece, ranked 13, winning 2-0 in a clash of two of the globe’s most troubled nations at Port Elizabeth.

Off the field, the Greek economy has imploded. They’ve had street protests and social unrest. How they needed a good old sporting success to lift the nation.

In South Korea, there’s political unrest and protests against their missile-wielding northern neighbours (who play Brazil on Tuesday). They needed a little on-field boost nationally too.

And they got it, courtesy of Lee Jung-Soon’s far-post tap-in the seventh minute and a quite brilliant goal from godlike captain and Manchester United star Park Ji-Sung in the 52nd minute. The result was never in doubt.

South Korea were efficient, aggressive, dominant. Greece, training in the heat of Durban and based at the swanky Beverly Hills Hotel (see my YouTube video on the subject http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px-ROLawUnU ), simply had no answers, though they improved late on.

Celtic midfielder Ki Sung-Yong and Bolton striker Lee Chung-yong were among the recognisable Korean names for European fans, while Greece offered Celtic’s Georgios Samaras but didn’t pick Liverpool centre-back Sotiris Kyrgiakos

Experienced Greek coach Otto Rehhagel rarely attempts all-out attacking football, and once they’d gone behind, Greece never really recovered.

Before the match Rehhagel said, “It's the first match and if you lose the first match your chances of getting through to the next round are limited.” That will rank highly among the things coaches wish they hadn’t said at this World Cup. They’ve got Nigeria next in Bloemfontein on the 17th. It’s become a must-win. Korea has Argentina in Johannesburg on the same day.

Both of these sides remain unlikely to qualify, but Korea can proudly claim to be the first winners at Africa’s first World Cup.

Veteran Korea keeper Lee “Spiderhands” Woon-jae was, sadly, left on the bench for Jung Sung-ryong. He made a spectacular 81st minute save but otherwise had little to do but listen to the vuvuzelas in a sparse crowd of 30,000 in a 46,000-capacity Nelson Mandela Stadium. Another great venue—it will be full for the next one, Ivory Coast versus Portugal in Group G on Tuesday, with the vast South Africa Portuguese community dominant (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nIz0GAAlzc ).

Down in Cape Town, France were suffering again. After last night’s awful 1-1 draw against Uruguay in Group A, their rugby team went down to the Springboks at a packed Newlands Stadium, where vuvuzelas are banned.

And that’s the problem. Port Elizabeth is rugby and cricket territory. Even the African population—like legendary cricketer Makhaya Ntini from nearby Kingswilliamstown—play the uppercrust sports in the old British mission schools around the Eastern Cape.

A bit like England’s losing rugby international in Perth, Australia this morning where only 32,000 turned up at the 50,000-capacity Subiaco Oval, you can’t force people to watch soccer if it isn’t in their culture. Remember, South Africa is a vast country of many varied people and climates.

And that’s why this is just the first upset in what promises to be a hugely unpredictable World Cup.

Inland, the nights are cold, the days are cloudless and hot. In Durban, it’s warm enough to swim in the sea even in mid-winter June. Cape Town can be like Manchester in December at this time of year, while Port Elizabeth is nicknamed the windy city.

Question is, will the chilly late-kick off at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium tonight suit the USA or England. We will soon find out. But one thing’s certain. You can’t bet on it.

Evangelos Moras looks to be out of the opening match in the World Cup vs. South Korea. After picking up an injury in Greece last warm-up against Paraguay, Moras has yet to practice fully with the team.

The injury leaves the coach Otto Rehhegal with a choice between Sotiris Kyriagkos, Sokratis Papastrathopoulos, Loukas Vyntra and Avraam Papadopoulos for two center back spots.

Better news, both Giourkas Seitaridis and Vasilis Torosidis have come through without any problems and look to be closing in on full strength.  The closer these players get to full strength the better the defense will be for Greece.

Other questions for Coach Rehhegal to ponder before the World Cup Opener:

1) Where to play Vasilis Torosidis now that he has returned to the team?

Vasilis has played everywhere for Olympiacos throughout his career. While he is a great defender at either left or right back, Vasilis also plays an above average midfield where he can show more of his offensive skills. 

2)4-4-2 or 4-3-3?

Against a team like South Korea who like to run up and down the field, does Rehhegal try to slow them down by clogging up the midfield.  This also will get Sotiris Ninis more time on the field to help the Greek offense

Possible lineup with Moras out:

Tzorvas (G), Seitaridis (RB), Kyriagkos (CB), Papastrathopoulos (CB), Torosidis (LB), Karagounis (M), Tzolis (M), Katsouranis (M), Gekas (F), Salpagidis (F) and Samaras (F)

Bench: Ninis, Spyropoulos, Kapetanos, Charisteas, Patsatzoglou, Vyntra

In a change without Moras, I think Sokratis Papastrathopoulos should get the nod in the back with Kyriagkos. Avraam Papadopoulos' aggressive tackling and poor play has left him the odd man out. Loukas Vyntra has more experience but Papastrathopoulos gives Greece the better chance of winning. Having also played with Kyriagkos at AEK for a few games helps him out here as well. 

With the Cup opener only five days away coach Rehhegal has a lot of things he needs to decide.

With Group B being side open for second place Greece, Nigeria, and South Korea will all have an oppertunity to progress to the second round and have Group C's winner. Greece opens its shot at advancing first vs South Korea on Saturday June 12, followed vs Nigieria on June 17th and finishing the group stage against Argentina on June 22nd. 

Greece qualified for the World Cup after finishing 2nd in the group stage to Switzerland and then defeating Ukraine 1-0 in a home and home series back in November.  Greece advanced to its 2nd World Cup and first since 1994. 

Greece is lead by coach Otto Rehhegal who since taking over Greece national team in 2001 has taken the team to new heights never seen before. After just missing out in qualifying for the World Cup in 2002, Greece upset the world by winning the European Championships in Portugal in 2004. A 1000-1 underdog back then in 2004 has almost the same odds in winning the World Cup but according to most experts no shot at advancing to the knockout stage.

The 2010 Greek roster is a mix of new blood along with 2004 veterans. With captain Georgios Karagounis Greece has a talent play maker with a deft touch on free kicks. Theofanis Gekas led all of Europe with 10 goals in qualifying upfront along with Celtic striker Georgios Samaras Greece has a formable duo upfront. Other forwards include 2004 championship scorer Angelos Charisteas, Romanian league golden boot winner Pantelis Kapetanos and Dimitris Salpagidis.

In the Midfield along side Karagounis is the future of Greek football Sotiris Ninis. Ninis help Panathinaikos in winning the Greek double in 2009-2010 season and advancing to the round of 16 in the EuropeLeague.  While Ninis will be at his attacking best Kostas Katsouranis will be at his defense midfield position.  Katsouranis is a defensive master but also able to score key goals from set pieces.  As remaining member from the 2004 championship squad will be looked upon for leadership. Other midfielders include Athanasios Prittas, Alexandros Tziolis and Christos Patsatzoglou.

In the back what used to be a strength is now a little subject.  Central defenders of Sotirios Kygriakos and Evangelos Moras are tall defenders but are slow and out muscled by opponents. Our best defenders are Vasilios Torosidis and Giorkas Seitaridis who are both coming off injury seasons for the club teams.  When both are in form its hard to crack the defense from either wing. Loukas Vyntra, Nikos Spyropoulos, Avraam Papadopoulos have also seen alot of playing time in qualifying round and in the three friendlies leading up to the World Cup.  Sokaratis Papastrathopoulos and Stilianos Melezas round out the defense.

Between the pipes, Coach Rehhegal will choose from a veteran Kostas Chalkias, and between youngster Alexander Tzorvas and Michalis Sifakis.  Tzorvas was in goal for both legs against Ukraine when Greece advanced and will be looked at the #1. Sifakis is right behind him but he lacks experience with the National team and Chalkias has been a reliable understudy in Greece championship squad.

Greece hasn't played well in its two most recent games tuning up for the Cup. Against North Korea the defense allowed to many chances and were run all over the field. Despite scoring goals in the opening minutes of each half North Korea outplayed Greece.  In their last tuneup against Paraguay scored two early goals but Greece settled down and had a goal disallowed in their 2-0 loss to Paraguay. 

If Greece is going to advance they will need to get a result vs Korea and the same vs Nigeria.Four points in the first two games is a must. Facing Argentina in a must win for advancing is not where you want to be.

In order to get a crucial point or three against the Koreans Greece must shore up its central defense. Moras, Vyntra, Kygriakos and or Avraam Papadopoulos must be physical and must use their height to their advantage against the Koreans. Wearing down the Koreans will slow them down and allow Greece to have the game at their pace. The Koreans are very thin team that already lost one of its star players to injury and will miss the first game against Greece.

Secondly Greece must score outside of set pieces.  Georgios Samaras will be a key man upfront as most teams will look to silence Gekas after leading Europe in scoring in qualifying.  Samaras hasn't found the net alot with the national team but his passing has set up crucial goals for Greece including the game winner against Ukraine to qualify for the Cup.

How coach Rehhegal uses Sotiris Ninis in this competition will be important for the Greeks to advance. Probably best suited to come off the bench Ninis speed and passing will be needed to change the pace of the game against both South Korea and Nigeria.  Ninis single handly helped Panathinaikos beat Roma in Italy to advance to the round of 16 in the Europeleague.

Fittness will be a key as if Seiteridis and Torosidis are healthy and able to play a full game Greece will have to lock down defenders along the wings and two very good crossers of the ball when the move up. Torosidis healthy is probably the key here as he can move up to midfield and play upfront and allow Greece to play with an extra attacking player on counter attacks and set pieces. 

Finally the Greeks will need one last great run from Captain Georgios Karagounis.  The captain has had a mini revival in his return to Panathinaikos. The Greek teams plays as well as he does. With these games set to be the last for many players (Karagounis, Katsouranis, Patsatzoglou, Chalkias, Charisteas) a great run from all of them will help them succeed.

My starting Eleven for the Cup:

G- Alexandros Tzorvas

RB- Gouirkas Seiteridis

CB-Loukas Vyntra

CB- Evangelos Moras

LB- Vasilis Torosidis

DMF- Kostas Katsouranis

AMF- Georgios Karagounis (CAPTAIN)

MF- Alexandros Tziolis

F-Georgios Samaras

CF- Theofanis Gekas

F- Dimitri Salpagidis

Off the bench Ninis, Kapetanos and Patsatzoglou will be introduced to either add more offense or add another defender to the midfield.  I aslo see Papadopoulos, Kygriakos and Spyropoulos to play in the three games as the health and performance of the defense is at a question.

If there was one thing that was sure in 2004 when Greece made their remarkable run into hoisting the European Cup and being crowned champions, it was that they were solid at goal. Their George Clooney look alike goaltender Antonios Nikopolidis was on his "A-Game" and had a little bit of Lady Luck on his side shutting out the likes of France, Czech Republic and Portugal.

Fast forward six years later when the Greeks take the pitch in South Africa, and you'll see that this is the position that scares Greek fans the most. They are bringing three goalies with their 23-Man Roster. Together, they have a mere total of 37 international caps under their belts. Twenty-Eight of those come from an aged veteran that will likely be watching from the bench. Even so, the starting spot is up for grabs come the 12th of June when Greece faces off with South Korea.

The three that will be fighting for the starting spot are...

Kostas Chalkias: PAOK FC, Greece. At 36 years old, Chalkias is the oldest member of team. He also leads all current Greek Goaltenders with 27 caps. A member of both the 2004 and 2008 Euro Teams, he has seen both the good and bad times. Although he had an impressive year with his Greek Super League team PAOK FC, Greece should be looking to fill in the gap with one of their younger guns.

Michalis Sifakis: Aris FC, Greece. The youngest of the goaltending crew at 25, Sifakis is seen as the long shot. His two career caps have come aginst weaker opponents Luxembourg and most recently Korea DPR. Hs only saving grace is that he played in 36 League and Cup games and helped Aris FC finish fifth and earn a spot in UEFA play.

Alexandros Tzorvas: Panathinaikos, Greece. Tzorvas was in goal both home and away when Greece took out Ukraine and danced into the 2010 World Cup. His performances in the two games went flawless as he shutout Ukraine on both occasions. This might be the reason why "King Otto" might elect to start Tzorvas in goal. Although the 27 year old has only appeared in 7 international derbies, he led his club Panathinaikos to a Super League Championship.

While the start against South Korea looks like it can go any way, Otto Rehhegal will have to think hard about which of these three he will have representing Greece in goal. It is important he has the right Goalie protecting the back line as Greece is known to play defensive football.

The skinny goes as follows. Chalkias might be old and rusty and Sifakis might be inexperienced, however, as Tzorvas seems to be the favorite, three poor performances in friendlies against Senegal, North Korea and Paraguay make every Greece fan wonder? But if I was a betting man, my money would be on Tzorvas taking the pitch for their first match in Port Elizabeth against South Korea.

Coming up next: Defenders

When your first attempt at goal in the very first minute almost gets you a goal you've got to think that your going to have an easy time of it. Especially when your second attempt your score. It took Greece three minutes to get an early 1-0 lead against North Korea.

Kostatinos Katsouranis scored into a wide open net after Greece beat the North Korean offside trap.  While Katsouranis got his name on the scoring sheet, Sotiris Kyriagkos staying onside on Georgios Karagounis pass allowed the Greeks to get off to a flying start.

Greece almost made it 2-0 in the 15 minute after Theofanis Gekas flick on hit the crossbar after a nice through ball by Katsouranis.  That missed awakened the North Korean team and from that point on Greece goal was under attack. 

Just two after Greece failed to increase their lead N.Korea to advantage of some poor Greek passing allowing the Koreans to get their first shot on net only to be blocked by a sprawling Sotiris Kyriagkos. A few minutes later North Korea equalized after the Greek defense gave a little to much space to Korean striker Tae-Se Jong. Jong unleashed a laser from right outside the box catching Michalis Sifakis a little off guard to even the score in the 24 minute

The Korean attack continued three minutes later forcing a nice save from Sifakis after Jong again found space in the Greek defense. Jong was one on one with the Sifakis and this time couldnt beat the goalie with a shot about 20 meters out.  The woodwork will also lend a hand in the 29th minute on a free kick from Yong-Jo Hong after yet again some poor greek defense.

Joon would continue to pressure the Greek defense forcing yet another save in the 33rd by Sifakis and missing on his last attempted in the first half in th 42nd minute. The Greeks needed the break in the worse way as their defensive game plan didnt work in keeping Joon under control.

To start the second half coach Otto Rehhegal made several substitutions pairing two new strikers and changing two defenders to change the momentum of the game.  The switch worked as Greece was able to score in the 49th minute as Karagounis free kick landed perfectly to Angelos Charisteas foot and was able to tap it in. 

The lead was short lived as Jong who had an unstoppable first half ran down a long pass and easily disposed of Nikos Spyropoulos and went right at the greek goal. This time Jong went high and beat Alexandros Tzorvas from an acute angle with ease. It took North Korea only two minutes to even the score.

Greece would only threaten a couple more times with Karagounis missing wide in the 58th minute and Alexendros Tzolis one-timer in the 81st minute also went wide. Greece would keep the pressure up at the end of the game but couldnt find a shot to break the deadlock.

On the other hand the Koreans would keep the pressure up on the Greek defense but also missing chances to take the lead.  Jong still kept eluding the Greek defenders and his attempt in the 73rd minute force a save from Tzorvas. Tzorvas came up with a nice save again ten minutes later to keep the deadlock.

The game would end 2-2 tie leaving a lot of questions for the Greeks to ponder before their last tune up game against Paraguay.  The defense was terrible against Jong and facing teams with similar styles at the Cup in two weeks Greece will have their hands full. 

Greece overall created enough chances for them to win this game. They also allowed way to many opportunities to the Koreans for them to win the game. Not something we normally see from the defensive squad.  From an offensive view forwards Georgios Samaras, Dimitri Salpagidis and Theofanis Gekas created chances and moved well together in the first half.  Second half subs Charisteas and Pantelis Kapetanos had set a couple of chances that should have met with better results. 

The midfield play was up and down. Captain Georgios Karagounis continued his stellar play and assisted on Charisteas goal in the second half. Karagounis miss before his substitution was one of the few bright spots in the second half.  Kostantinos Kastouranis played well at time but also had some several lapses in concentration. Missing several passes and turning the ball over is not what you want to see from your defensive midfielder.  Alexander Tzolis might have had Greece best chance in the second half but his defense in the first half was horrendous.  Poor marking of Jong in the midfield allowed one of Jong's first half chances. Miss communication between Tzolis and the defenders allowed for some nervous minutes in the first half.  The performance tonight probably hurt his chances of starting in the World Cup.

Now the defense which was left dazed and confused by the J-Leagues best strikers. The starting four of Loukas Vyntra, Angelos Moras, Sotiris Kyriagkos and Nikos Spyropoulos struggled for the lasat 30 minutes of the first half.  As a whole the group allowed way to many chances at goal. Most guilty were Spyropoulos who was left holding air in Jong's second goal, Vyntra for giving Jong too much space outside the penelty box.  Moras and Kyriagkos size couldnt keep North Korea from getting around them and creating shot at either Sifakis or Tzorvas.  Second half subs Seiteridis and Avraam Papadopoulos might not have allowed a goal but they couldnt stop Jong either.

Notes and Questions:

Sotiris Ninis didn't get into the game. The highly sought after midfielder has only a handful of first team duty under Rehhegal. Does he get anytime in the Cup after several veterans have not had good seasons with either their club teams?

Not on the bench was Vasilis Torosides as he struggles to regain his fitness after picking up an injury during the Greek Superleague Playoffs.  He was greatly missed on the pitch.

Who will be the starting goalie for Greece? Tzorvas played well for Panathinaikos giving them their first championship in 6 years was in net only in the second half. 

Who joins Kyriagkos in the back line for the Cup games?  

With one more game before facing South Korea in the World Cup, Greece has a lot of problems they need to work out.  Next game vs Paraguay.