The Czech Republic will attempt to do what they have been unable to in three previous meetings with Greece – breach their opponents’ defence – as the teams lock horns in Wroclaw.
Group A – Matchday 2
Municipal Stadium Wroclaw, Wroclaw
Tuesday 12 June 2012
18.00CET (18.00 local time)
Head-to-head record
The teams shared goalless friendlies in Ioannina on 17 April 2002 and in Prague on 18 August 2004, sandwiched in between their most significant meeting in the UEFA EURO 2004 semi-finals.
The 90 minutes in Porto were again goalless but Traianos Dellas’s header in added time at the end of the first period of extra time put Greece into the final.
Czechoslovakia met Greece in Rome at the 1980 UEFA European Championship. Antonin Panenka (5), Ladislav Vizek (25) and Zdenek Nehoda clinched a 3-1 win, Nikos Anastopoulos (13) on target for Greece.
That was one of five wins Czechoslovakia recorded in as many meetings with Greece, who scored only two goals in those defeats while conceding 11.
Selected previous meetings
18 August 2004: Czech Republic 0-0 Greece – Stadion Evzena Rosickeho, Prague, friendly
Czech Republic: Cech, Grygera, Bolf, Rozehnal, Jankulovski (Mares 52), Poborsky (Sionko 43), Rosicky, Galasek (Vachousek 46), Tyce (Hubschman 73), Koller (Lokvenc 46), Heinz (Baros 46).
Greece: Nikopolidis, Seitaridis, Katsouranis, Kapsis (Dabizas 46), Fysas, Zagorakis (Iorgiadis 46), Basinas (Tsiartas 37), Karagounis (Kafes 46), Giannakopulos, Vryzas (Venetidis 78), Charisteas.
The teams’ most recent meeting was Greece’s first as European champions, and came barely six weeks after they had got the better of the Czechs in Portugal.
1 July 2004: Greece 1-0 Czech Republic (Dellas 105+1) – Estádio do Dragão, Porto, UEFA EURO 2004 semi-finals
Greece: Nikopolidis, Seitaridis, Dellas, Kapsis, Fyssas, Zagorakis, Basinas (Giannakopoulos 72), Katsouranis, Vryzas (Tsiartas 91), Karagounis, Charisteas.
Czech Republic: Cech, Grygera, Ujfalusi, Bolf, Jankulovski, Galasek, Poborsky, Rosicky, Nedved (Smicer 40), Baros, Koller.
The sides’ only previous competitive meeting was decided by Traianos Dellas’s first strike in 53 internationals, and the last silver goal ever scored.
Form guide
UEFA EURO 2004 represented Greece’s first appearance in a European finals tournament since 1980. They have not missed a EURO since.
The Czech Republic have played at every EURO since splitting from Slovakia in 1993, reaching the final at EURO ’96 and the semi-finals at UEFA EURO 2004.
