The Greek national team achieved a historic victory—its first-ever win against Germany. The win came in Augsburg with a 1-0 score, as Kurbelis sealed the victory for the “blue and whites,” earning them three crucial points in their Nations League League A campaign.
Even more impressive was the clean sheet, as well as the fact that the Greek defenders rose to the occasion. Those who played on the defensive line won the majority of the one-on-one duels they faced. Their success rate reached an astonishing 76% against a national team like Germany’s, which boasts plenty of quality as well as physically imposing players.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
In total, the Greek center backs engaged in 29 duels and won 22 of them! This is a testament to their self-sacrifice, their commitment to tactics, and the mental preparation they received from Ivan Jovanović.
The 22 out of 29 duels break down into 6 out of 9 aerial duels and 16 out of 20 ground duels.
Giorgos Vagiannidis (1/1 ground)
Konstantinos Mavropanos (10/10 – 5/5 on the ground, 5/5 in the air)
Panagiotis Retsos (3/9 – 2/6 on the ground, 1/3 in the air)
Konstantinos Tsimikas (5/6 ground)
Manolis Saliakas (2/2 ground)
Giannis Michailidis (1/1 ground)
*photo source: AP
