GREECE EDGE PAST BOSNIA

ATHENS, Greece (October 14,2007) - Greece won against Bosnia 3-2 in a scrappy performance in their Euro 2008 Group C qualifier on Saturday, opening up a four-point lead over second-placed Turkey and edging closer to qualification.

The defending champions reacted quickly after the Bosnians equalised early in the second half, scoring twice in 15 minutes to seal the match. Bosnia pulled one back in injury time.

"We are leading in the final stretch of our race but do not think we are through yet.A goal is a goal when the whole ball passes the line and we are mathematically not through yet," Greece coach Otto Rehhagel siad.

Rehhagel, seeking an early goal, unusually fielded three strikers to pile on the pressure.The Greeks' efforts paid off after 10 minutes when Angelos Charisteas headed a cross by Christos Patzatsoglou onto the bar, saw his rebound shot blocked by defenders but tapped it in with his third attempt.
Giorgos Karagounis came close in the 24th minute but had his powerful drive from 20 metres tipped over the bar by Adnan Guso.

Greece could have scored again in the 39th when Charisteas combined well with Yannis Amanatidis and Fanis Gekas but the latter's close-range effort was saved well by Guso.

The Bosnians grabbed an equaliser in the 54th minute with a curling free kick by Hrgovic, who was sent off a minute later for a hard tackle on Angelos Basinas.

The Greeks went ahead again two minutes later when Gekas chested down a beautiful chip by Basinas and fired past Guso. Nikos Lyberopoulos added a third in the 72nd, a minute after coming on, with a fine volley after first hitting the post with a header.

The Bosnians scored their second in injury time when substitute Vedad Ibisevic pounced on a deflection in the box to slot the ball past Nikopolidis.

Greece 3 - 2 Bosnia
Charisteas 10, Gekas 58, Liberopoulos 73 M. Hrgović 54, Ibišević 90+ 2

Greece:
1 Antonios Nikopolidis
5 Traianos Dellas
25 Sotirios Kyrgiakos
3 Christos Patsatzoglou
15 Vassilis Torosidis
6 Angelos Basinas
10 Georgios Karagounis
21 Konstantinos Katsouranis
20 Ioannis Amanatidis
17 Theofanis Gekas
9 Angelos Charisteas
substitutes
13 Konstantinos Chalkias
28 Paraskevas Antzas
19 Michalis Kapsis
18 Ioannis Goumas
23 Nikos Spiropoulos
8 Stelios Giannakopoulos
33 Nikolaos Liberopoulos

Coach: Otto Rehhagel

Bosnia:
1 Adnan Gušo
2 Džemal Berberović
5 Branimir Bajić
13 Safet Nadarević
6 Branislav Krunić
10 Zvjezdan Misimović
18 Mirko Hrgović
24 Admir Vladavić
25 Elvir Rahimić
7 Dragan Blatnjak
9 Zlatan Muslimović
substitutes
12 Denis Mujkić
3 Samir Merzić
16 Ivan Radeljić
11 Darko Maletić
14 Vedad Ibišević
17 Sejad Salihović
23 Edin Džeko

Coach: Fuad Muzurović

Referee: Grzegorz Gilewski (POL)