Anastasiadis happy with positive start in Vaduz
Greek national team head coach Angelos Anastasiadis was satisfied with the 2:0 victory against Liechtenstein in the first match of UEFA Euro 2020 qualification, praising the players’ commitment.
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Given Greece’s disappointing form in recent years, no matches can be taken for granted, but the team did a professional job against Liechtenstein on the road to earn a 2:0 triumph. On the brink of half time, Kostas Fortounis hooked in a clever volley after connecting with a superb pass from Dimitris Kourbelis, before substitute Tasos Donis sealed the deal with a powerful finish in the closing stages. Greece will now travel to Bosnia for a crucial game on Tuesday.
Ethniki Omada boss Angelos Anastasiadis expressed his satisfaction with the three points: “I’m happy with our start to the campaign,” stated the 66-year-old manager. “We had chances to finish the match as a contest earlier, but we still managed to win. I am happy with the commitment which our players showed. Before this game began, we had spoken a lot with the guys, and our goal is to give our all on the pitch and then see what God wants. We thank God for not having any problems in this match, except for the injury suffered by Mitroglou.
How is Kostas feeling? He definitely won’t play against Bosnia, so we want to summon another player to the national team. We wish Kostas a speedy recovery. On Tuesday, we will have a very difficult match away from home, and we have to be ready.”
Kostas Fortounis, the scorer of the winning goal in Vaduz, noted the importance of making a good start to the qualification campaign: “With a new coach and plenty of new players in the squad, it was crucial to make a positive start to this group,” noted the Olympiacos midfielder. “We wanted to score goals. In the second half, we played well with the ball, and we registered the second goal. Our fans? The stadium was full of Greeks! We need their support in Athens too. We want to continue well and qualify for the competition.
We’ve played a few times in Bosnia before. We have nothing to fear. Yes, they have some quality players in their team, but together with our coaches, we will analyse them and create a game plan. We will do what the coach wants us to.”
Fellow goalscorer Tasos Donis also shared his opinions when speaking to Open TV after the match’s conclusion: “Kostas Fortounis’ goal really helped us to unlock the opponents. In the second half, more opportunities began to come our way, and we had chances to score a number of goals. Bosnia and Italy are two very good teams, but if we play with concentration, we can gain points against them. It’s very important for us to have a family-like atmosphere within the team. It’s a fresh start and I am happy being here.”
