Greece Boss: We Missed Karagounis

Greece boss Fernando Santos says his side badly missed suspended skipper Giorgos Karagounis in Friday’s 4-2 quarterfinal defeat to Germany in the 2012 Euros.

The Greeks bowed out of the tournament after the defeat, with three goals in 15 second-half minutes ultimately costing Santos’ side.

Santos admitted the absence of skipper Karagounis, who scored the winner in their final group game against Russia and was part of the side which won at Euro 2004, was a major blow.

“[We were missing the suspended] Giorgos Karagounis, who is a very important player for us as he can keep the ball which gives his team-mates a breather,” Santos said.

“Had we had that we would not have conceded four goals. We weren’t expecting so many changes to Germany’s lineup. Their coach wanted to change to freshen things up, and for me it was the right move on his part.

“We will try to correct a few things now and hope to be better at the beginning of the World Cup qualifiers.”

Santos was pleased with Greece’s tournament as a whole, but admitted the Germans squeezed them for space on Friday.

“I would also like to congratulate my team for all of the efforts they put in throughout this tournament,” he said.

“In tonight’s game, we didn’t find much space, and they had the majority of possession. We should have looked to hold on to the ball more, but we practically couldn’t breathe at times. Despite our efforts in defence, we conceded a first goal that made things more difficult for us.”