Greeks kebab opponents before final

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece fans who have watched their team's stunning progress to the Euro 2004 final can now chomp up their footballing rivals in the form of the national snack souvlaki.


Greece play hosts Portugal in Lisbon on Sunday having beaten holders France and the fancied Czech Republic to mark the national team's greatest ever triumph.


"We serve a 'Zidane Souvlaki with Trezeguet sauce', it's a total hit," said Dimitris Ikosidios, owner of the Derlicatessen souvlaki store in Thessaloniki, which also offers 'roasted Czech' baked potato, and a 'Haristeas souvlaki' in honour of Greece forward Angelos Haristeas.


Souvlaki, the most popular Greek fast food, is made of chunks of meat wrapped in a flatbread, or pitta, with tomatoes, herbs and a yoghurt-garlic sauce.


"From Monday on, we will offer 11 chunks of pork as 'Little Portuguese on the Grill', but hey, if the game goes well early on, we might start from tonight," added Ikosidios, who runs the restaurant dressed in a black referee's uniform while his staff wear Greece's blue-and-white kit.


Mixing soccer and food seems to be turning into a trend, with Greek restaurants in Germany reported to have introduced "Otto specials", after Greece's German coach Otto Rehhagel, and bars offering "Otto cocktails".