AGONA Analysis: How the Greeks performed against Liechtenstein
The AGONA Analysis takes a closer look at the performance of the Greek national team in the important 2:0 victory against Liechtenstein in the first match of the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying campaign.
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In Vaduz, Greece managed to register an confidence boosting 2:0 win against minnows Liechtenstein, as Kostas Fortounis and Tasos Donis scored two impressive goals to secure the three points. The performance was far from spectacular, but the Ethniki Omada did a professional job, and the victory sets the team up well for a crucial match against direct qualification contenders Bosnia on Tuesday.
Let’s take a closer look at how each Greek player performed against Liechtenstein:
Odisseas Vlachodimos: It’s always tough to assess the goalkeeper in a match against opponents of this calibre. Nevertheless, despite not facing a single shot on target, a clean sheet is always a positive thing. You can bet Vlachodimos will be a busy man against Bosnia.
Leonardo Koutris: On the left flank, the Olympiacos defender tried to offer threat, bursting forward and supporting the attack on a regular occurance.
Dimitris Siovas: Taking into account Liechtenstein’s level, Greece weren’t tested in defence, but Siovas was a solid figure and he was a danger in the box when the Ethniki had corners. A strong showing from the 30-year-old Leganes centre-back.
Dimitris Kourbelis: The Panathinaikos star provided a wonderful assist for Fortounis’ goal in the first half, picking out his teammate with a raking, accurate high pass from deep. His profile is certainly rising.
Michalis Bakakis: In the second half, the AEK right-back found himself in good positions, unleashing one shot which was fired directly into the goalkeeper’s grasp. Bakakis wasn’t at his best from an attacking point of view, but he didn’t make any glaring mistakes either.
Carlos Zeca: Controlled the game well in midfield, played without errors, made good use of the ball, and kept Greece’s rhythm intact. The FC Copenhagen midfielder calmly went about his business with minimal fuss.
Andreas Samaris: In excellent form with Benfica in Portugal, the experienced 29-year-old displayed some nice touches and looked to play in a positive manner, but his end product was lacking.
Tasos Bakasetas: Recently, Bakasetas has drawn plenty of criticism for his performances with AEK, and he couldn’t make any real impression on this match in Liechtenstein. He didn’t have the pace to run at the defence, and after missing a promising opportunity midway through the second half, he was taken off in favour of Dimitris Kolovos.
Kostas Fortounis: In the final moments of the opening 45 minutes, the Olympiacos midfielder was picked out superbly by Kourbelis, subsequently hooking a fine volley beyond the opposing goalkeeper. Fortounis was constantly involved in proceedings and played with visible hunger.
Giorgos Masouras: The talented 25-year-old was a lively figure for Greece in attack, and had his finishing been better, Masouras could have scored a few goals in Vaduz. Dished out the assist for the second goal with an intelligent pass in the direction of Donis’ run.
Konstantinos Mitroglou: The Galatasaray forward had an early attempt smartly saved, but in the 23rd minute, he received an injury and was replaced by Tasos Donis. He will miss the upcoming game against Bosnia on Tuesday.
SUBSTITUTES
Tasos Donis: With 10 minutes remaining, Donis smashed a powerful effort through the goalkeeper’s gloves to score his first for the senior Greek national team and seal the deal. Made a clever run to meet Masouras’ pass for the goal.
Dimitris Kolovos: Following his introduction in the second half, the Omonoia Nicosia player looked to compete with aggression in the attacking third, pushing forward with the ball when it was at his feet.
Efthymis Koulouris: Attempted a spectacular overhead kick which flew wide of the right post. The Super League top scorer didn’t have time to assert his authority on the game after taking the place of Fortounis with only seven minutes left on the clock.
