The second European Championship of the 21st century produced one of the biggest shocks in football history, as a completely unheralded Greek side battled their way to Euro glory.

Under German coach Otto Rehhagel the Greeks proved that discipline and tireless endeavour could overcome even the most talented opposition, but few could have anticipated the drama that was to come when they began the tournament with a surprise 2-1 victory over hosts Portugal in the opening game.

A mistake from Portuguese right-back Paulo Ferreira allowed Georgios Karagounis to put Greece ahead within seven minutes, before Cristiano Ronaldo - making his major tournament debut - conceded a 51st-minute penalty that Angelos Basinas tucked away to seal a 2-1 victory.

It was the first game that Greece, 80-1 outsiders at the beginning of the tournament, had ever won at a major championship.

Portugal responded with a 2-0 victory over Russia in the next game, and a Nuno Gomes goal secured a 1-0 win over Iberian rivals Spain in the final group game that sent them through as group winners, with Greece edging Spain out of the competition on goals scored.

The Spaniards scored just two goals in Portugal, with coach Inaki Saez coming under fire for persistently selecting his clearly out-of-sorts captain Raul.

Spain were not the only big name to go crashing out of the tournament after just three games, with both Italy and Germany forced to catch early flights home after insipid showings at the group stage.

The Germans limped out after drawing against the Netherlands and Latvia and losing to the Czech Republic in Group D, while uninspiring draws against Denmark and Sweden ensured that the Azzurri finished third in Group C, but only after a controversial 2-2 draw between the Scandinavians had ensured the progress of both.

Italy's exit was a particularly low point for Francesco Totti, one of the stars of the tournament during his country's run to the final at Euro 2000, but given a three-game ban for spitting at Denmark's Christian Poulsen in the 0-0 stalemate between the sides.

For England fans Euro 2004 will be remembered as the international breakthrough tournament of 18-year-old striker Wayne Rooney, then an Everton player with just a handful of eye-catching goals to his name.

Having lost their opening game 2-1 against reigning champions France thanks to two injury-time goals from Zinedine Zidane, England responded with a 3-0 win over Switzerland followed by a 4-2 dismantling of Croatia.

Rooney netted a brace in both games and played with a swagger and an insouciance that suggested he was born for the international stage, but an foot injury early in the quarter-final against Portugal robbed his team of their attacking spearhead, and an exit on penalties followed after skipper David Beckham and Darius Vassell missed from 12 yards.

Sweden had grabbed the attention with a 5-0 thumping of Bulgaria at the group stage, but they went out of the competition in the next round after losing a penalty shootout to the Netherlands, with Olof Mellberg missing the first penalty in sudden death after the game had finished goalless after extra time.

The Czechs, with Pavel Nedved supplying the bullets and eventual Golden Boot winner Milan Baros in uncharacteristically prolific form, won all three of their games in Group D, including a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory against the Netherlands.

A comfortable 3-0 victory over Denmark in the quarter-finals had many pundits tipping them to go all the way.

But the shock result of the last-eight stage was Greece's 1-0 victory over France, with Angelos Charisteas's 65th-minute goal and the team's accompanying defensive efforts establishing a smash-and-grab formula that was repeated to stunning effect in the semi-final, when defender Traianos Dellas's extra-time header put paid to the Czechs by the same scoreline.

Portugal ensured the final would be a repeat of the tournament's opening game by beating Holland 2-1 in the other semi-final, thanks to a goal from Ronaldo and a stunning 25-yard effort from the left-hand edge of the penalty area by Maniche that was named Goal of the Tournament.

And so to the final at the famous Estadio da Luz in Lisbon. Portugal, with a home crowd behind them and a squad featuring 'golden generation' stars such as Luis Figo and Manuel Rui Costa alongside new talents like Ronaldo and Deco, were fully expected to claim the first major title in the country's history.

But once again Rehhagel's men were not reading the script, and another header from Charisteas with just over an hour remaining proved enough to secure the trophy and send the people of Greece into raptures.

"The Greeks have made football history," said Rehhagel in the aftermath of the triumph. "It's a sensation.

"We took advantage of our chances. The opponent was technically better than us but we took advantage of our chances.

"The differences between the big teams and the so-called smaller teams have become smaller."

Ronaldo's post-final tears encapsulated a feeling of immense disappointment for the thwarted hosts, but by taking a limited squad to the biggest prize through sheer hard work and organisation, Rehhagel created a blueprint that has gone on to provided inspiration for countless sporting underdogs.

Follow every Euro 2008 game LIVE on eurosport.yahoo.co.uk, kicking off with Switzerland v Czech Republic at 5pm on Saturday!

Tom Williams / Eurosport