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Greece unfazed by 'boring' tag

Image: Kyriakos Papadopoulos: Happy to be boring if Greece keep qualifying for major tournaments

Greece's players have insisted they are not bothered by criticism of their style of play, ahead of Friday's Euro 2012 opener against co-hosts Poland

Malezas and Papadopoulos putting emphasis on results

Greece's players have insisted they are not bothered by criticism of their style of play, ahead of Friday's Euro 2012 opener against co-hosts Poland Champions in 2004, Greece made it through to this summer's tournament as group winners ahead of Croatia after basing their qualification campaign on a solid defence. They have been labelled as negative in some quarters but defender Stelios Malezas says his team-mates are concerned with 'results, not artistry'. He added: "I don't think (football) should be seen in terms of boring or beautiful."

Keep producing

Coach Fernando Santos, at his first major tournament with Greece, has tried to give the side a fresh lease of life by trying out youngsters and giving his most gifted players greater freedom on the pitch. But Greece remain a tough team to score against, conceding just five goals in 10 qualifiers. "We might be the most boring team here,'' Schalke defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos said. "But we keep making it to the big tournaments.'' Greece follow up their opening game against Poland with clashes against Czech Republic and Russia in Group A.