Theofanis Gekas

Beşiktaş took over the top spot in the Spor Toto Super League standings with a hard-fought victory against Kardemir Karabükspor.

The Istanbul club’s Senegalese Demba Ba striker scored twice for the visiting Black Eagles as they beat Karabükspor 2-1 yesterday to move to the top of the table with 23 points.

Greek striker Teofanis Gekas scored a double against Fenerbahçe in a 2-0 victory in the Spor Toto Super League, increasing his goal tally to six in four games and putting his Akhisarspor at the top of league standings

Greece's World Cup squad received a heroes' welcome home on their return to Athens on Tuesday after reaching the World Cup last 16 for the first time in their history.

Over 200 supporters greeted the players at Eleftherios Venizelos airport in an impromptu gathering, chanting loudly and embracing them as they made their way through the arrivals hall.

By George Georgakopoulos

Greece succumbed in a penalty shootout to 10-man Costa Rica, whose keeper Keylor Navas kept the score at 1-1 throughout extra time and then saved Fanis Gekas’s spot kick to send the Central Americans to the quarterfinals of the World Cup on Sunday night.

By George Georgakopoulos

Greece’s first ever clean sheet in its World Cup history has kept it in the running for the second round, as the 0-0 draw with Japan on Thursday, with a man down for most of the game in the rainy and windy conditions at Natal, has given it its first point in the tournament.

By Karolos Grohmann

A 3-0 defeat by Colombia on Saturday in Greece's opening World Cup Group C game was a bad start to the tournament in Brazil but it is no drama, Greece coach Fernando Santos told reporters.

Santos said the Greeks, who have never managed to keep a clean sheet at a World Cup match, paid the price for a lack of focus at key moments in the game.

By George Georgakopoulos

No beautiful horizon lies ahead for Greece after its performance at Belo Horizonte on Saturday and its 3-0 loss to Colombia in its opening game for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, as besides its defeat the national team was disappointing in many ways.

 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.

By Graham Wood

Greece vice-captain Kostas Katsouranis stressed there were no rifts in the squad ahead of the World Cup after publicly apologizing to team mate Giannis Maniatis for a public bust-up while playing for their clubs.