Dellas nets dramatic winner
Traianos Dellas scored a fairytale silver goal winner that clinched an amazing 1-0 victory for Greece against Czech Republic and booked their place in the Euro 2004 final.
The game looked destined for penalties after the first 90 minutes of football failed to produce a goal, although the Czechs looked the more likely to break the deadlock.
With a second period of extra-time looming, Dellas, who has been outstanding for Greece, arrived perfectly at the near post to head in Vassilis Tsartas's right wing corner.
The Czechs had won their last nine competitive games, brushing aside everything in front of them in Portugal this summer, but were dumped out by the surprise package.
Greece now take on hosts Portugal in the final on Sunday in what is a rematch of the opening game of the tournament.
Portugal will be hoping Greek lightning does not strike twice after they were shocked 2-1 by Otto Rehhagel's men back on June 12.
The Czechs began the match in confident mood, and almost took a stunning lead after three minutes.
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Tomas Rosicky latched onto a Jan Koller flick and struck a fierce right-footed volley past Antonis Nikopolidis, but the effort crashed off the bar.
Greece were on the back foot from the off and did well to weather the storm through the opening exchanges, with Pavel Nedved seeing his low shot deflected out for a corner.
Moments later Udinese wide man Marek Jankulovski smashed a ball toward goal, but Nikopolidis was equal to the effort and parried the drilled shot out for a corner.
Greece began to show what they could do around the 10 minute mark with Giorgias Karagounis beginning to get his foot on the ball and bringing colleagues into the game.
Rehhagel side's first effort of the contest arrived moments later, but Karagounis's free-kick struck a Czech player in the defending wall and was easily gathered by Petr Cech.
Rosicky, buoyed on by his early thunderbolt, almost created a chance for the Czechs with a barnstorming run, however Greece shepherded the ball out for a corner.
Pierluigi Collina produced the first booking of the game when Milan Baros got the better of Giourkas Seitaridis and was hauled down.
While Cech was never pressed into immediate action, he was forced to scramble the ball away from his six-yard box after 30 minutes following a good run by Zisis Vryzas down the left.
Karel Bruckner was forced into a change shortly after when captain Nedved injured his knee after catching Kostas Katsouranis when trying to latch onto a right wing cross.
The Juventus star tried to battle on, however he succumbed to pain and was replaced by Liverpool's Vladimir Smicer.
Jankulovski almost caught Nikopolidis out with a cheeky chip just before the break, but the floated shot drifted just over the bar as the Greek keeper tried to scramble back to his goal.
The second half began as the first had ended with Greece battling for everything and not giving the Czechs any time on the ball to demonstrate their undoubted skills.
Koller asked a question of Collina after 53 minutes when he appeared to be held back by Traianos Dellas in the box, however the vastly experienced referee opted against awarding a penalty.
Substitute Smicer was booked shortly after when he deemed it necessary to halt Seitaridis's surging run down the right by bringing him down from behind.
The Czechs continued the push men forward, in a bit to secure that all-elusive opener, and came close through Koller only for team-mate Baros to divert his back-post header wide.
Rosicky tried to reproduce his stunning drive from the opening minutes on the hour mark, however with a sight of goal from outside the box he fired his shot high and wide.
While not looking the more likely to score the Greek fans were giving unrelenting vocal support to their side that visibly lifted their team whenever penned in by the Czechs.
Poborsky, earning his 99th cap in the game, almost broke the deadlock after 69 minutes but after collecting the ball just outside the area saw his delicate chip flash over Nikopolidis's far post.
The best chance of the 90 minutes came to Koller with ten minutes remaining, but after a clever pass from Rosicky, the tall striker drilled his shot well wide with just Nikopolidis to beat.
Baros was inches from clinching a dramatic winner, but after cutting onto his left foot in the box he placed his low shot just wide of the Greece goal.
Karagounis, who has already served one suspension in Euro 2004, was then ruled out of the final on 88 minutes when he was booked for catching Rosicky.
Kapsis was forced into a superb piece of defending during injury time when he cleared Jankulovski's left wing cross with Koller lurking menacingly in the penalty area.
Greece began extra-time in positive fashion with substitute Giannakopoulos forcing Cech off this line well to block his header after he got in behind the Czech defence.
Charisteas thought he had the chance to claim the glory for his country shortly after, but again Cech made the save although the offside flag was up anyway.
Minutes after Dellas directed a header straight at Cech, the one-time Sheffield United man popped up with seconds remaining in the first half of extra-time to score the game-winning goal.
There was no time for the Czechs to fashion any kind of response with Collina blowing the whistle seconds after restarting the game sending the vast Greek support into scenes of jubilation.
