Greece are a step closer to Euro 2024 after defeating Kazakhstan in qualifiers on Friday morning (AEDT) 5-0.
Kazakhstan came full of ambition but accepted the role of punching bag early on. With amazing football, the blue and white team cleaned up the semi-final from the first half.
The quick goal that coach Gus Poyet was waiting for came perhaps faster than we could have imagined.
The quick goal caught Kazakhstan off guard, who stepped up and made it pay immediately. In the first transition attempt, Mandalos found Masoura wonderfully, he with a perfect cross in the heart of the area was waiting for Pelkas to rise and he with a powerful header made it 2-0 (15′) and took off the field.
The shocked Kazakhs realised early on that this was not their day. And they understood it even better in the 24th minute phase, the only time they came out of their shell with claims.
The stubborn Chesnokov stole the ball from the abstract Tsimikas and caught the left shot from 30 meters, the ball hit the head of Hadzidiakos, but fortunately for us it found the root of the post of the immobilised Vlachodimos.
The flow of the match did not change and what followed was a Greek storm. Poyet’s team with mastery, but also quality, constantly found the cracks, in a creative way with surprising accuracy rates.
The third goal is proof of this. The amazing Kourbelis again found Masouras in isolation, he with a fantastic parallel ball found Ioannidis on the move and he made it 3-0 in an empty net (37′), in a delirium that became even more intense three minutes later.
From a corner kick, the ball reached Tsimikas who filled sweetly with his left and Kourbelis, who jumped higher than everyone with a header, “executed” the opposing goalkeeper for 4-0 (40′) in the most productive half of the national team.
When you reach a score like that at half-time, the next match automatically comes to mind. Tuesday’s final in Tbilisi against Georgia. Understandably, the Greeks let their foot off the gas, it was time for management.
Poyet protected those who had a card (Hatzidiakos) or those who needed breathers (Bakasetas, Pelkas), refreshed his team and as expected, the degree of cohesion fell.
The Kazakhs had some good moments, the best being a misdirected header by Orozov (58”), but as time went on, they ran out of strength.
Two warning shots from Bakasetas and Mandalo gave the trigger for the fifth goal which finally came from an opponent’s head and Tapalov’s clumsy chase (85′) on a cross from Tsimikas.
Against a surrendered opponent, Giakoumakis (87′) and Masouras (90′) looked for a sixth goal in a festival of attacking football, but it never came before the end of the match.
Greece’s victory was on track to beat the record they set in November 1989 when they beat Syria 8-0.
The national team will next face Georgia to make their dream of playing in Euro 2024 a reality.
Source: zougla.gr.
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