Achieving the Impossible - the Remarkable Story of Greece's EURO 2004 Victory

by George Tsitsonis

Overview

Only the most optimistic of supporters of the Ethniki, as Greece's national football team is commonly known, would have dreamt of what occurred in Portugal at the 2004 European football championships. They came under the guidance of Otto Rehhagel, a disciplinarian German coach who was also an astute tactician, and went on to - literally - achieve the impossible by winning! It was one of the greatest shocks in the history of international football. This book is the story of how that happened. It is the first time the story has been told in long form in the English language and includes remarkable first-hand accounts from players, coaches and officials from the Ethniki. American journalist George Tsitsonis writes not only of how the impossible was achieved, but the pride and joy that such a 'miracle' brought to Greek people and the Greek diaspora around the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781925914092
Publisher:	Fair Play Publishing
Publication date:	06/12/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	857 KB

About the Author

George Tsitsonis is a Greek-American football writer who has had a life-long love of the beautiful game. This has led to his participation in the sport in a variety of ways, from amateur player to coach to writer. The son of Greek immigrants, George was exposed to the game as a young boy through kickabouts with his father. That, coupled with growing up alongside football-mad friends and reading magazines such as Soccer America and World Soccer, fueled an intense passion for the sport. After graduating from Keene State College, George became a freelancer in 2002. Since then he has had his work included in a number of publications including FourFourTwo, ESPN Soccernet, FIFA World, FIFA Magazine, Soccer International, Inside Soccer Magazine, 90 Minutes Magazine, Football Club Magazine, Greeksoccer.com, SoccerAge, and Goal.com. He has been a Senior Staff Writer for AGONAsport.com, the world's biggest English-language website devoted to Greek sport, since 2016. Tsitsonis has covered stories around the football world, specifically places and teams far away from the limelight. He has always specialised in covering Greek football and has written extensively on the Greek game. He has offered his views and opinions on Greek leagues, the national team, and clubs to various outlets from England to Colombia, from the United Arab Emirates to the Czech Republic. The lack of English-language coverage of Greece's unbelievable EURO 2004 success prompted him to write 'Achieving The Impossible', a book detailing one of the greatest shocks in the history of international football. George resides in Walpole, New Hampshire, USA with his wife and two children. He continues to work at his family's restaurant business while finding joy in writing and coaching football as well as losing to his kids in the backyard.

Table of Contents

Prologue

1: History of the Ethniki

2: Aftermath Of A Disaster

3: Rehhagel - The Man Who Would Be King

4: Rising From The Ashes

5: Two Right-Hand Men

6: The Real Work Begins

7: The Building Of A New Team

8: The Road To Portugal Begins

9: The Search For Oxygen

10: Four Days In June

11: Qualification Achieved

12: Preparing For A New Challenge

13: The Final Stretch

14: EURO 2004 Begins

15: A Point Proven

16: The Sweetest Defeat

17: The Shock Heard Around The World

18: The Inevitable Moment

19: Sikose To (Lift It Up)

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

Bibliography