The price on Greece before the 2004 European Championship began.
What they had done before
Greece had qualified for one European Championship, in 1980, and one World Cup, in 1994. They had not won a match at either. Between those two appearances there was nothing.
The manager was Otto Rehhagel, a German who had spent fourteen years at Werder Bremen and one unhappy season at Bayern Munich. He had taken the Greece job in 2001 and did not speak the language. He worked through an interpreter for eight years.
The opening game
The tournament began with Portugal against Greece in Porto, the hosts in front of their own crowd. Greece won two one.
It was treated as an opening day accident. Portugal recovered, won their group, and went on to the final.
The route
Greece drew with Spain and lost to Russia, and went through on goals scored. In the quarter-final they met France, the reigning European champions, with Zidane, Henry and Trezeguet. Charisteas scored and Greece won one nil.
In the semi-final they beat the Czech Republic, the team everyone had been watching, with a header from a corner at the end of the first period of extra time. It was a silver goal, under a rule that has since been abolished.
The final
Portugal again, in Lisbon, on 4 July. In the fifty seventh minute Angelos Basinas took a corner and Charisteas headed it in.
Portugal had the ball for most of what remained and did not score. One nil.
What was actually rare
Underdogs win tournaments occasionally. What has not happened again is a team beating the host nation in the opening match of a European Championship and then beating them again in the final.
Greece have not won a knockout match at a major tournament since.