PORTO (Reuters) -- Greece will face host Portugal in the final of Euro 2004 after the rank outsiders beat the Czech Republic 1-0 with a silver goal from defender Traianos Dellas in extra time on Thursday.
It is the first major final for Greece who had never won a game at a major tournament before coming to Portugal and were quoted at odds of 80-1 to win the title before it began.
However, it stunned the hosts by beating them in the opening match and will now have a chance to repeat that feat at the Luz stadium in Lisbon on Sunday.
Greece battled for victory in the semifinal as they harried and harassed the Czechs throughout the match, though the tactics led to a game based more on perspiration than inspiration.
But Dellas popped up with the headed winner from a corner by substitute Vassilis Tsartas just seconds before the end of the first half of extra time. Under the silver goal rules, if a team is leading at the break, it wins the match.
NEDVED INJURED
The Czechs played the more flowing and attractive soccer -- even after losing skipper Pavel Nedved in the 40th minute when he was accidentally injured in a clash with Costas Katsouranis.
Nedved, on a yellow card and in danger of missing the final if the Czechs won, limped on for a few minutes and went down the tunnel at halftime with an ice pack on his knee.
Although having the better of the territorial play, the Czechs could not break down a Greek defense that regularly surrounded any Czech player on the ball with five or six men.
Greece attempted to break up the Czechs' more flowing moves with a series of body checks and shirt-pulling around their own penalty area and, although there was a passionate atmosphere in the stadium, too much of the play was fragmented.
Pierluigi Collina, the world's top referee, officiating in his last international before retiring, booked six players -- but failed to award Jan Koller a penalty when he appeared to be pulled down by the shirt in the box early in the second half.
Koller should have got his revenge for that by scoring in the 80th minute after a quick one-two with Tomas Rosicky, but fired wide with only the goalkeeper to beat.
BRIGHTER START
The Czechs, buoyed by four successive wins, made the brighter start and came close to opening the scoring after only three minutes when a powerful volley by midfielder Tomas Rosicky rattled the bar after Koller headed on a free kick.
Otherwise, there were few chances in a tense opening period in which Greece attempted to shackle Koller and fthe dangerous Milan Baros, the tournament's top scorer.
Traianos Dellas played as a sweeper while Michalis Kapsis attempted a marking job on Koller. Yourkas Seitaridis was detailed to do the same on Baros.
The tactics gradually restricted the Czechs' chances before Greece began to exert some pressure of their own in the Czech half.
However, it only had one chance of note in the opening period after 29 minutes when striker Zisis Vryzas just failed to connect with a cross from Takis Fyssas four meters out.
Karel Poborsky lofted the ball just over the Greek bar after 69 minutes before Koller came close. Baros then fired just wide of the post with his left foot from 16 meters.
Greece midfielder Giorgos Karagounis was booked for a foul on substitute Vladimir Smicer in the 88th minute and will miss the final with a suspension.
After the match finished goalless at the end of normal time, Baros found himself booked in the extra period for a foul on Takis Fyssas before Greece defender Dellas scored the winner after 105 minutes to put them in the final.
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BBC
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Greece ripped up the form book by beating Euro 2004 favourites Czech Republic with a silver goal to face host nation Portugal in the final.
Traianos Dellas lost his marker at a corner to glance home the winning goal seconds from the end of the first period of extra-time.
The Czechs had their chances, with Tomas Rosicky striking the crossbar.
But the plucky Greeks worked tirelessly to deny the Czechs, with Dellas a giant at the heart of their defence.
The Czechs came flying out of the traps and almost took a spectacular lead after just two minutes when Jan Koller nodded on a free-kick and Rosicky dipped a thumping volley against the bar with keeper Antonis Nikopolidis a helpless spectator.
Dellas (second left) glances home the winning goal
But the Greek keeper proved up to the task two minutes later when Marek Jankulovski roared forward and Nikopolidis stood firm at the near post to parry his piledriver for a corner.
Having ridden out the early storm, Greece grew in confidence and after Giorgos Karagounis was upended by Rene Bolf, the Greek playmaker picked himself to take the free-kick but the Czech wall did its job to take the sting out of his strike.
With at least a foot height advantage over his marker Michalis Kapsis, Koller's height was always going to be a threat and Nikopolidis was very cool as the giant striker's apparently harmless looping header bounced on top of the bar.
Takis Fyssas epitomised Greece's growing confidence as he supported the attack to tease in a tempting cross which Angelos Charisteas missed at the near post and Petr Cech palmed away at full stretch as Karagounis sniffed for scraps.
Nikopolidis came to Greece's rescue on 33 minutes, going full length to palm claw away Jankulovski's first time shot after Rosicky's low cross found its way through to him.
KEY MOMENTS
2 mins: Rosicky's shot hits the bar
33 mins: Nikopolidis denies Jankulovsky
40 mins: Pavel Nedved limps off
80 mins: Koller fires wide from 10 yards
105 mins: Dellas glances home the winning goal
All the action as it happened
The Czechs suffered a blow as half-time approached when starman Pavel Nedved limped off to be replaced by Vladimir Smicer.
Despite the loss of their talisman, the Czechs turned the screw in the second half and Nikopolidis was relieved as he completely misjudged Karel Poborsky's corner and Koller's goal-bound header struck team-mate Milan Baros.
But back came Greece and Zisis Vryzas glanced his header from Angelos Basinas's free-kick straight into Cech's arms.
Jankulovsky wasted a good opportunity presented by Theodoros Zagorakis's foul on Baros, driving his free-kick into the two man wall from five yards in from the goal-line
With 10 minutes left Koller took a cute return pass from Rosicky only to drag his shot wide from 10 yards out.
Baros then weaved his way inside but choked his shot after opening up the angle on the goal.
Cech came to his side's rescue as the game went into extra-time, sprinting from his goal to block a header from Stelios Giannakopoulos.
Dellas then had a chance to score what would have been the winning silver goal but placed his glancing header from Vassilis Tsiartas' free-kick too close to Cech.
With the seconds ticking down to the end of the first period of extra-time, Dellas lost his marker Bolf at the near post to glance home the winning header from a corner.
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Greece: Nikopolidis, Seitaridis, Kapsis, Dellas, Fissas, Zagorakis, Katsouranis, Basinas (Giannakopoulos 71), Charisteas, Vryzas (Tsiartas 90), Karagounis.
Subs Not Used: Chalkias, Katergiannakis, Dabizas, Georgiadis, Goumas, Kafes, Lakis, Nikolaidis, Papadopoulos, Venetidis.
Booked: Seitaridis, Charisteas, Karagounis.
Czech Republic: Cech, Grygera, Ujfalusi, Bolf, Jankulovski, Poborsky, Galasek, Rosicky, Nedved (Smicer 40), Koller, Baros.
Subs Not Used: Blazek, Kinsky, Heinz, Hubschman, Jiranek, Lokvenc, Mares, Plasil, Rozehnal, Tyce, Vachousek.
Booked: Rosicky, Smicer, Baros.
Attendance: 42,449.
Referee: Pierluigi Collina (Italy).
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OFFICIAL STATS BY UEFA
Category Greece Czech Republic
Total shots 9 16
Shots on target 5 5
Possession 48% 52%
Corners won 4 8
Fouls committed 15 24
Offsides 4 2
Bookings 3 3
Sent Off 0 0
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