European Football Cup 2008’s Weblog

It is Friday 13th and Greece are preparing for tomorrow’s crucial encounter with Russia knowing their backs are against the wall. A second defeat, after the 2-0 loss to Sweden, would have the European champions packing their bags prematurely. A horror scenario that, despite the date, the Greek players would desperately like to avoid.

Another day
However, as Vivien Leigh’s character Scarlett O’Hara put it in Gone With The Wind: “Tomorrow is another day.” The date of their match with Russia, 14 June, evokes fine memories for Greece fans. On that day, back in 1987, the country were crowned European champions in basketball for the first time in their history, defeating the Soviet Union.

Psychological boost
One thing is for sure: ahead of the meeting with Russia, the work to be done in the Greece camp is more psychological than anything else. Although the players are trying to remain as cool as possible, the light mood witnessed before the tournament started is notably absent. What do you say to lift morale prior to what is essentially a knockout match against Russia?