Czechs meet Greece in semis

LISBON, Portugal — The Czech Republic has more goals than any team at the European Championships and is the only one to have won all its games. That would appear to put the Czechs in good position to beat Greece and play for the title.

Then again, who thought the Greeks — the surprise of this tournament — would make it this far?

The other semifinal pits the Netherlands against host Portugal, a seemingly closer matchup.

Milan Baros, who plays for Liverpool in England's Premier League, scored twice for the Czechs in a 3-0 quarterfinal victory over Denmark on Sunday to become the tournament's leading scorer with five goals.

"He is simply a brilliant player," Czech coach Karel Bruckner said.

The Czechs, with 10 goals in four games, also have one of the world's best midfielders in Pavel Nedved. However, injuries to defenders Martin Jiranek and Rene Bolf could undermine the defense, the weak link.

On Thursday in Porto, the Czechs face a Greek team that hadn't won a single game in a major championship before Euro 2004.

The Greeks rocked the tournament in the opener, beating host Portugal 2-1. They tied Spain 1-1 and despite losing 2-1 to Russia rebounded by ousting defending champion France 1-0 in the quarters.

Greece is coached by Otto Rehhagel of Germany. His popularity among Greek fans has been unprecedented for a foreigner, and he's often called "King Otto."

The Greeks rely on a resilient defense and organized midfield. The team has no stars but workhorses who cover each other and refuse to give opponents space.

Traianos Dellas and Giorgios Seitaridis have been solid on defense. Striker Angelos Charisteas, who helped Werder Bremen win the German league and the German Cup, has tested defenders in all four games.

"Winning the double in Germany was a great achievement," he said. "But here I am representing my people, which is why my joy is bigger."

Unlike the Greeks, who have played so impressively, the Portuguese and Dutch have taken a shakier route to the semis.

The Portuguese, coached by Luiz Felipe Scolari, steadied themselves after becoming the victims of the biggest opening day upset in the tournament's 44-year history.

After a routine 2-0 victory over Russia, the Portuguese edged Spain 1-0 in a must-win game and captured a tense quarterfinal against England on penalty kicks.