Greece draws with World champions Italy

World champions Italy shared the honours with Greece after a low-key friendly encounter in Athens ended in a draw between the two European rivals. Otto Rehhagel's Greek side took the lead against the run of play through substitute Theofanis Gekas five minutes into the second half-time but Luca Toni levelled the match for Marcelo Lippi's side just four minutes later with a trademark header.

The draw also meant Lippi equalled the world record of 31 consecutive international games without defeat set by former Spain coach Javier Clemente and ex-Argentina tactician Alfio Basile.

Both teams lead their respective World Cup qualifying groups at this stage of the campaign and looked content to go through the motions at a disappointingly near-empty Georgios Karaiskakis stadium.

The match began at a pedestrian pace, but it was the visiting Italians who registered the first shot on target when Gennaro Gattuso tested impressive debutant Alexandros Tzorvas with a long-range effort which the Greek goalkeeper tipped around the post. Tzorvas was called into action again seconds later to save striker Giuseppe Rossi's close-range shot.

Greece responded immediately with a Vangelis Mantzios snapshot which fizzed past the left post before Kostas Katsouranis wasted the best chance of the half, heading Nikos Spiropoulos's cross wide.

The lively Gattuso survived Greek claims for a penalty when he appeared to handball as half-time approached before Mantzios had the ball in the net minutes later - which was then correctly ruled out for offside.

Italy powered out of the blocks in the second half, both Toni and Mauro Camoranesi drawing fine saves from Tzorvas before the hosts took the lead against the run of play after 50 minutes.

Substitute Gekas, on for Mantzios, was the man on target, latching on to Alexandros Tziolis's threaded pass before firing low into the bottom-left corner past Morgan De Sanctis.

Greece's lead was short-lived, however, with Daniele De Rossi picking out Toni with a curling free-kick which the Bayern Munich frontman headed down past Tzorvas's despairing dive and into the bottom-right corner.

Tzorvas, who was full value for his man of the match award, was on hand to make yet another brilliant save from another Camoranesi rocket as the visitors sought to seal a win.

A flurry of substitutions disrupted the flow of the second half and the game petered out to end with what was in the end a fair reflection over the 90 minutes.

The serious business of World Cup qualifying resumes for both teams in the spring.

Italy, four time winners and the current champions, lead Group Eight ahead of the Republic of Ireland with an unbeaten record. Lippi's men, who defeated Montenegro 2-1 in the most recent outing last month, travel to Montenegro for a return match on March 28 - the same day Greece travel to Israel for their next fixture.

The Greeks were beaten 2-1 at home to Switzerland in their previous match but still lead the Israeli's by a point at the Group Two summit.

Teams

Greece: Tzorvas, Vyntra, Spyropoulos, Papaststhopoulos, Dellas,

Basinas (Ninis 89), Tziolis, Katsouranis,

Karagounis (Gekas 45), Mantzios (Liberopoulos 45),

Salpigidis (Pliatsikos 89).

Subs Not Used: Chalkias, Papadopoulos, Koutsianikoulis,

Patsatzoglou, Torosidis.

Booked: Vyntra.

Goals: Gekas 50.

Italy: De Sanctis, Bonera, Grosso, Chiellini (Legrottaglie 45),

Cannavaro (Gamberini 60), De Rossi, Camoranesi (Maggio 60),

Gattuso, Montolivo (Pepe 45), Toni (Gilardino 60),

Rossi (Iaquinta 69).

Subs Not Used: Curci, Dossena, Perrotta, D'Agostino,

Quagliarella.

Booked: Camoranesi.

Goals: Toni 54.

Att: 7,000

Ref: Howard Webb (England).

21.11.2008