Costas Mitroglou

By George Georgakopoulos

PAOK suffered a 3-0 loss at Tripoli to local Asteras, allowing Olympiakos to retake the lead in the Super League with an emphatic 3-1 win at Xanthi, while Panathinaikos in third trounced Ergotelis 5-0 with all goals coming in the first half.

Costas Mitroglou banished the memories of his disappointing spell in England after breaking a 10-month goal drought as Olympiakos Piraeus secured a thrilling 3-2 Champions League win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

West London club Fulham, relegated from the Premier League last season, signed Greek international left-back Costas Stafylidis on loan from Germany's Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday.

The Championship club said it had an option to make the transfer of the 20-year-old, who has one cap for Greece, permanent at the end of the season.

By George Georgakopoulos

Greece’s players stressed that they got what they deserved, but appeared quite reserved after the game with the Ivory Coast being visibly tired from the historic triumph of the national team that has seen it through to the last 16 of the World Cup.

Greece striker Costas Mitroglou, who took a hit to his side and had to be taken off during their World Cup Group C draw against Japan on Thursday, will be fit in time for their final game against Ivory Coast, a team official said.

Greece could have emerged victorious from its 0-0 World Cup Group C draw with Japan on Thursday were it not for Costas Katsouranis's first-half red card, coach Fernando Santos said.

The Greek skipper was dismissed for a second yellow in the 38th minute, leaving his side to frantically defend for the remainder of the game with Japan having close to 70 percent possession.

 Two headers gave Greece its only victory in four friendlies in 2014

Panayiotis Kone ended Greece's nearly four-game goalless streak in the first half and the Europeans beat Bolivia 2-1 on Friday night at New Jersey, in its last friendly before heading to Brazil for the World Cup.

 Concern over injury to Sokratis Papastathopoulos

By George Georgakopoulos

Greece managed a goalless draw in Portugal in its first World Cup warm-up game on Saturday, although its performance at the Estadio Nacional in Lisbon left much to be desired both in defense and in attack.

Fulham striker Costas Mitroglou, who has barely played this year due to a knee injury, was included in a 30-man provisional World Cup squad reluctantly revealed by coach Fernando Santos on Wednesday.

Santos had previously stated that he would not announce his provisional squad, only his final selection of 23 players, on May 19.

Fulham could soon have Greece striker Costas Mitroglou back to assist in its Premier League relegation fight, manager Felix Magath said on Friday.

Mitroglou has featured just twice for the Londoners since joining from Olympiakos Piraeus for an undisclosed fee, which media reports put at 12 million pounds ($19.97 million), on transfer deadline day on January 31.