Poyet tries to mark 20th anniversary of Greece’s European title by leading team back to tournament

Gus Poyet is aiming to build on a tradition as he tries to become the latest foreign coach to take Greece to a European Championship.

It's been 20 years since German coach Otto Rehhagel led an unheralded team to the title at Euro 2004 in one of soccer's biggest surprises, and 12 years since Portuguese manager Fernando Santos helped Greece reach the Euro 2012 quarterfinals.

That was the last time Greece played at the Euros, but the team is now one game away from returning to the tournament under Poyet, the cultured Uruguay midfielder who spent most of his playing and coaching career in England.

"Greece have been absent from the Euros for too long," Poyet said Thursday, after his team cruised past Kazakhstan 5-0 in Athens in a qualifying playoffs semifinal.

Poyet now takes his confident team to Georgia on Tuesday for a winner-takes-all match in a noisy, 50...