"Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of Troy."

Greek culture has always had a soft spot for epic journeys. Homer's Odyssey, written in around 700BC, tells of Odysseus' 10-year journey home following the successful conclusion of the Trojan War.

A tale of wandering, the epic talks of fantastic adventures in foreign lands before its hero finally arrives home.

The odds are stacked against Odysseus from the start. Held captive on the island of Ogygia, he is forced to overcome Cyclops, sea monsters and the wrath of the Gods before making it back to the Greek mainland.

His triumph against the odds is a vindication of the human spirit, but it is also a victory for the Greek nation and the Hellenic culture with which it is so closely intertwined.

More than 27 centuries have passed since Homer penned his Odyssey, but the Greeks are still embarking on their travels.

And few have been more epic than the three-week jaunt that will end in Lisbon's Estadio du Luz tomorrow.

It is worth pausing for a moment to reflect on the state of Greek football before the start of Euro 2004.

Virgil may have warned us to beware Greeks bearing gifts, but that is exactly what the country's footballers have done throughout most of their history.

Prior to the kick-off in Portugal, Greece had scored just one goal and earned just one point in their six games at major events, becoming the second-worst team in World Cup history in the process.

Italy beat them 4-0 in the first leg of the qualifiers for the 1934 World Cup, and Greece simply failed to turn up for the second. Things didn't improve much four years later when Hungary beat them 11-1.

Topping a qualifying group that included Spain hinted at better things this time around, but Greek optimism was quickly deflated by their final warm-up game before leaving for Portugal, a 4-0 trouncing at the hands of Holland.

The bookmakers installed the Greeks as 80-1 outsiders for the tournament - only Latvia were available at longer odds - but, while the leading fancies have collapsed around them, Otto Rehhagel's side have steadfastly plotted a route to tomorrow's final.

How they have done so provides a salutory lesson to anyone wanting to make progress in the international game.

Greece have proved that you can have all the 'Galacticos' in the world - but they will never be a match for organisation, discipline and desire.

Those virtues might not capture the imagination in the same way as a Beckham free-kick, a Zidane blockbuster or a Figo dribble. But they could yet bring Greece the biggest prize in the European game.

Much of the praise for Greece's incredible success should go to their German coach.

Rehhagel inherited little more than a shambles when he took up his post three years ago, and he could have been forgiven for throwing in the towel when his first game ended in a humiliating 5-0 reverse at the hands of Finland.

But, gradually, Rehhagel has stripped Greek football of its penchant for indiscipline and disorganisation.

"The players used to do whatever they wanted to," he revealed last week. "Now they do what I tell them."

That advice normally stresses the importance of patience, solidity and a work ethic that has been matched by no other team in the tournament.

Perhaps inevitably, Rehhagel's tactics have come to be known as "The Wooden Horse" - a defensive trap that lures the opposition forward before the likes of Angelos Charisteas and Stelios Giannakopoulos launch lightning raids forward.

The ploy has worked brilliantly against both France and the Czech Republic in the knockout stages, the two sides who had built the biggest reputations for attacking strength.

But tactics alone cannot account for Greece's transformation.

The players have surpassed themselves on the pitch and it is surely only a matter of time before Europe's leading clubs snap up the latest crop of Greek adventurers.

Giourkas Seitaridis is the perfect embodiment of the new Greece. Equally at home at right back, centre-half, wing back or right midfield, the 23-year-old has secured a move to Champions League winners Porto while becoming one of the stars of the tournament.

Centre-half Triainos Dellas will have his pick of clubs after emerging as the most accomplished defender on show in Portugal - quite a change from when he was being released by Sheffield United in 1999.

And midfielder Giorgios Karagounis has proved that it is possible to ally technique and trickery with a work ethic so conspicuously lacking in many of the tournament's so-called superstars.

This year was always going to mark a watershed in Greek sport.

On August 13, the Olympic flame will be lit in Athens as the world's biggest sporting event returns to its spiritual home.

The battle to host the Games has been an epic that has captivated the Greek public for the best part of two decades.

But it could yet be surpassed by an even greater tale if Greece upset the odds one more time tomorrow.