Lawlessness threatens to turn heart of Athens into no-go zone

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BY GEORGE GEORGAKOPOULOS The national soccer team has become the hot favorite for the top spot in its group, which would secure its World Cup berth, after scoring two wins in Luxembourg and Latvia in the last week. Greece has opened a two-point gap at the top of the rankings thanks to the points its rivals have dropped in the opening two rounds, but the national soccer team has also managed to silence critics with its own impressive and effective showing, particularly in Riga on Wednesday. Luxembourg was clearly no match for coach Otto Rehhagel’s men; their 3-0 win on Saturday, September 6, could have been by a far greater margin had they shown willingness to work harder and take advantage of more opportunities. As it was, the 2-0 lead at halftime, thanks to a Vassilis Torosidis header from an Angelos Charisteas cross and a clinical finishing by Fanis Gekas from the left, ensured Greece had the three points in the bag. The second half was a mere stroll, with Charisteas adding his name to the scoresheet by converting a late penalty. Lethal Gekas Latvia had been expected to be a tougher opponent, but Greece’s formation, an unprecedented 3-4- 3, was something the hosts could not handle. With Torosidis and Giourkas Seitaridis on the flanks, the team had no problems breaking through the Baltic team’s de- 20 fense, with the 2-0 win doing little justice to the Greeks’ performance. Just 10 minutes into the game, a Seitaridis pinpoint cross from the right side straight into the path of Gekas in the 6-yard box allowed the Bayer Leverkusen striker to open the score with a simple tapin. The Greeks had five or six major chances to double their lead later in the first half but a combination of hurried choices and the reactions of Latvia keeper Andris Vanins dampened play. ATHENSPLUS • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2008 Making Greek fans proud again National soccer team gains early advantage after World Cup qualifiers Record participants in Spartathlon After the recess for the national team’s games, the soccer Super League is returning to action this weekend with two big games in northern Greece. Champion Olympiakos will have to pass its first major test in the league in Xanthi against the home team, which is yet to acquire a manager following the dismissal of Yiannis Mantzourakis a few days ago. Olympiakos will likely be missing skipper Predrag Djordjevic through injury. The other major game of the weekend is on Sunday evening with PAOK hosting AEK in Thessaloniki. Fresh from the best possible start to the season and the 2-0 win away at OFI, PAOK wishes to consolidate its improvement this year with a win in a big game such Impressive Greece has silenced critics thanks to two away wins as that with AEK. The Athens club, in turn, comes from the derby win over Panathinaikos and is going to try playing with two strikers up front, with new signing Rafik Djebbour probably getting his first runout. SPORTS Vitalijs Astafjevs (r) and Genadijs Solonicins (rear) of Latvia tackle Giourkas Seitaridis (c) in Greece’s 2-0 win in Riga. [EPA] The Greeks’ first chance in the second half was promptly monopolized, however, after just four minutes. Giorgos Samaras carried the ball toward the box; Torosidis crossed from the left and Gekas nudged the ball from close range to make it 2-0 for Greece. That was the fifth goal by an inform Gekas in the last three games for Greece. Israel’s draw with Switzerland on Saturday and the unexpected win by Luxembourg over Switzerland on Wednesday mean that the Swiss team, Greece’s main rival for the top spot, is now five points off the pace. The top team advances directly to the 2010 finals in South Africa, while the second team faces a two-leg playoff. Big soccer matches in northern Greece PAOK hosts AEK and Xanthi meets Olympiakos as the Super League revs up Super League fixtures Saturday, September 13 Iraklis vs OFI Xanthi vs Olympiakos Panathinaikos vs Panthrakikos Panserraikos vs Panionios Sunday, September 14 Levadiakos vs Thrasyvoulos Asteras Tripolis vs Larissa Ergotelis vs Aris PAOK vs AEK Panathinaikos is hosting new boys Panthrakikos at the Olympic Stadium while last year’s top two teams outside Athens and Thessaloniki, Asteras Tripolis and Larissa, are clashing on Sunday. World Cup results Group 2 Luxembourg 0 Greece 3 Israel 2 Switzerland 2 Moldova 1 Latvia 2 Latvia 0 Greece 2 Switzerland 1 Luxembourg 2 Moldova 1 Israel 2 World Cup qualifying Group 2 table Greece 6 pts Israel 4 pts Latvia 3 pts Luxembourg 3 pts Switzerland 1 pts Moldova 0 pts AEK coach Giorgos Donis (center) and his players have prepared for a tough match against PAOK in Thessaloniki on Sunday. Day 2 of the league is also a likely six-pointer for the relegation fight as Levadiakos hosts Thrasyvoulos, while Aris is traveling to Ergotelis in Crete with its own fans. IN BRIEF This year’s Spartathlon will have a record number of participants, as 344 people have already registered. The international two-day super-marathon race from Athens to Sparta is taking place on September 26-27 and will feature all the big names in long-distance running. Winners will receive an olive branch and water from the Evrotas River in Laconia. ● ●●● Daniilidou out of Vogue Athens Open The Vogue Athens Open tennis tournament continues at the Athens Tennis Club but with no Greek participants left in the singles draw as number 3 seed Lena Daniilidou was defeated on Tuesday by Russia’s Ekaterina Ivanova in straight sets (6-1, 6-0). All the other Greeks also lost in the first round. ● ●●● Greek rivals vie for Tom Hoff After weeks of discussions, Panathinaikos volleyball club has given up on waiting for the response of US star Tom Hoff (photo) and is turning to other options. At the same time, though, rival Olympiakos has contacted the Beijing gold medalist and tried to lure him to Piraeus instead. The 35-year-old central blocker is obviously keeping his options open. ● ●●● Gianniotis wins 5-kilometer swim in Europeans Swimming champion Spyros Gianniotis won the 5kilometer race on Wednesday at the European Open Water Championship in Dubrovnik, Croatia. He benefited from his speed and dominated his competitors by almost one minute, clocking 52 minutes 57.2 seconds. This was the first ever title for Greece in open sea swimming. Gianniotis also finished sixth in the 10-km race earlier in the week.
Panathinaikos returns to the Champions League After three years of absence, Panathinaikos is returning to the Champions League next week as the country’s sole representative in the group stages. The Greens are preparing to face Italian champion Inter Milan on Tuesday, September 16 at the Olympic Stadium in front of 65,000 passionate fans who have clearly missed seeing their team compete in the world’s top club competition. Such is the eagerness of fans to see this game, that all available tickets disappeared within just six hours on Tuesday. A source from Panathinaikos said jokingly that even if the club staged the first half on one day and the second half on another, the stadium would again be filled to capacity. Following Olympiakos’s shock exit from the group stage at the hands of Cyprus’s Anorthosis, Panathinaikos has grabbed all sports fans’ attention, as well as all the UEFA funds that will be allocated to Greece for its participation in the Champions League, amounting to about 10 million euros. But besides that, Panathinaikos is eager to make an impact on the competition in its centenary year. Full-scale changes to its ownership, administrative setup, coaching staff and play- Greek Paralympic athletes have impressed in the Games in Beijing with an amazing rate of two medals won per day, eclipsing by far the performances of their compatriots at last month’s Olympic Games. After the first four days, Greece had garnered one gold, three silver and four bronze medals, with five of them coming from swimming courtesy of Haralambos Taiganidis (three, including a gold) and Giorgos Kapellakis (two). Anastassios Tsiou and Yiannis Protos added two more bronze medals in athletics. Swimming has traditionally been the strongest sport for Greece in the Paralympics, accounting for 12 of Greece’s total of 20 medals in the previous Paralympic Games held in Athens in September 2004. Yet Grigoris Polychronidis provided Greece Greens prepare to face Inter Milan in the first group game on Tuesday CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Group B fixtures Sep 16 Panathinaikos vs Inter Sep 16 Werder vs Anorthosis Oct 1 Anorthosis vs Panathinaikos Oct 1 Inter vs Werder Oct 22 Panathinaikos vs Werder Oct 22 Inter vs Anorthosis Nov 4 Werder vs Panathinaikos Nov 4 Anorthosis vs Inter Nov 26 Inter vs Panathinaikos Nov 26 Anorthosis vs Werder Dec 9 Panathinaikos vs Anorthosis Dec 9 Werder vs Inter Eager fans All available tickets disappeared in just six hours on Tuesday ers have added to the anticipation for the club’s return to the Champions League. Newly signed players, such as Brazilians Gilberto Silva from Arsenal, Rodrigo Souza from Flamengo and Gabriel from Fluminense as well as experienced stars Giorgos Karagounis with a silver medal in boccia, a Paralympics-exclusive sport resembling bowling or curling and included for people with cerebral palsy. Polychronidis reached the final in Beijing, losing only to Korea’s Park Keon-woo and settling for silver. He had previously scored five wins in his category, the BC3 of the individual event, and was mighty close to winning in the final as well – he lost 3-2, with the deciding point determined by just a few millimeters. Polychronidis is not your average athlete: He is a graduate of the National Technical University and speaks four languages. His look is imposing and he wins you over even before he starts speaking. If he was disappointed with his loss in the final, he did not show it: “With a silver Paralympic medal you can on- ATHENSPLUS • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2008 SPORTS & LEISURE BY GEORGE GEORGAKOPOULOS and Dimitris Salpigidis should ensure Panathinaikos is no pushover in the competition. The draw has actually not been bad for Panathinaikos, as apart from the Italian giants coached by Portuguese superstar manager Jose Mourinho, the group consists of German club Werder Bremen and Anorthosis, who play each other in Germany on Tuesday. The top two of each group proceed Winning more than just medals Greek athletes shine in the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing Panathinaikos fans are bracing for their club’s return to the group stage of the Champions League after three years. The Greens will face Inter Milan on Tuesday. [ANA] ly be satisfied and excited. Of course, I aimed at the gold medal, which I missed out on by the smallest of margins. Yet you cannot be disappointed with the second spot. “We had the top 24 players in the world here and there were many players of equal quality, not just Park and myself. I made an error that I have never made in training and I cannot even imagine anyone making; maybe that’s what cost me the win,” he said right after the final. His coach, Giorgos Tzimas, let the athlete enjoy the limelight. “Such moments belong to the athletes. We must remain in the background. I want to thank this great athlete who is making me a better coach,” he stated. The Paralympic Games continue until Wednesday, September 17. to the knockout stages of the competition, while the third team qualifies for the UEFA Cup round of 32. Although Panathinaikos has not yet been convincing in the competitive games it has played to date, the club has a tradition of rising to European occasions such as that of next Tuesday with Inter. Still, it is clear that even a draw would be good enough for Panathinaikos in its opening game against the group’s strongest team. The good news for the hosts is that Inter’s midfield will be somewhat weakened on the night, due to the absence of injured Chilean Luis Antonio Jimenez Garces and doubts surrounding the fitness of French midfielder Patrick Vieira. The match will air live on pay-TV network Nova Sports 1 at 9.45 p.m. Grigoris Polychronidis won a silver medal in boccia BC3, missing out on gold due to an uncharacteristic mistake. [AFP] 21
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Lawlessness threatens to turn heart of Athens into no-go zone

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