Greece took advantage of a fatal defensive error of Russian defenders to harvest a 1-0 win and a berth in the quarterfinals at Euro 2012 here on Saturday.
Giorgos Karagounis (L) of Greece scores during the Group A 3rd round match against Russia at the Euro 2012 football championships in Warsaw, Poland, June 16, 2012. [Xinhua] |
The Greeks took the lead seconds before the interval when Giorgos Karagounis sent a low shot under Russia goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev with the final touch of the first 45 minutes.
The win sent the 2004 champions into the next round together with Czech Republic, which beat co-hosts Poland 1-0 in another Group A match.
Favored to advance into quarterfinals from Group A, the Russian team dominated the match but some of the players were not sharp enough to score.
"We did go forward, were very attacking. We played well, but you have to score goals," Rusia coach Advocaat said. "We did that in first game and despite all the possession today we didn't do that today."