Greece claimed some consolation for an overall disappointing tournament when they beat Australia 3-1 in the final Pool B match of the FIVB Volleyball World Championship for Men in Fukuoka on Wednesday.
In an entertaining match, the two previously winless teams went all out to break their duck but it was the Greeks who emerged victorious, 25-20, 25-22, 22-25, 25-23.
Greece improved their win-loss record to 1-4 while the endearing Aussies had to settle for 0-5 after losing all five matches.
Neither team were able to qualify for the second round and neither of them wanted to leave Fukuoka without a victory.
Greece were the slight favourites given their greater experience playing against top European sides on a regular basis. And indeed, they justified that tag by going into the first time-out of the opening set 16-13 ahead.
Australia have been unable to repeat the battling performances of their first two matches when they were beaten by Germany and France. And they looked leaden-footed as Greece surged into a 22-17 lead.
Andreas Andreadis gave the Greeks set point and Antrei Kravarik powered down the spike that won the set.
Kravarik, through blocking and great serving, was responsible for Greece's 4-0 second-set lead but Australia's own big man, Daniel Howard brought his team back to 6-6.
Nathan Roberts then fired in two from the right to put Australia ahead 8-7. Australia pushed two points ahead at 14-12 and Howard gave them a second TTO lead of 16-15.
Greece then faced a 19-15 deficit though Konstantinos Christofidelis helped his team reduce it to 20-19. Another belting Kravarik served levelled the score at 21-21 as Australian coach Russell Borgeaud called time out.
It failed to lift the Aussies as Sotirios Panteleon gave his team the lead at 23-22 and Ilias Lappas had two winners from the left to bring up set point and win the set.
Australia, frustrated at letting slip a four-point lead in the previous set, sped to an 8-5 advantage in the third set, hoping this time to hold on to it.
The Aussies nursed their lead and then built it into a 14-10 buffer with Andrew Earl, Howard and Luke Campbell playing major roles. Australia went into the second TTO 16-11 ahead after setter Brett Alderman's service winner.
At 18-13, Australia had their biggest lead of the match but Nikolaos Smaragdis, Pantaleon, Christofidelis and Konstantinos Prousalis brought Greece to within 19-17 before Borgeaud pushed the panic button.
Greece inched to within one point, at 21-20, and then it was 22-21 for Australia as they desperately tried to hang on.
Greek captain Nikolaos Roumeliotis sent his serve into the net to give back Australia their two-point advantage and a Greece infringement then had the Aussies enjoying their first set point of the match - three of them to be exact.
Kravarik saved one for Greece but Campbell's winner from the centre put Australia back in the match.
Both Phillip DeSalvo, for Australia, and Greece's Georgios Stefanu were making key plays for their teams as liberos.
Australia's Roberts was turning out to be a fine replacement for Paul Carroll and his enterprise on the right, coupled with Earl on the left, kept it tight in the fourth set with Greece eking out an 8-7 lead on some great play from Kravarik.
A furious rally saw Lappas tamely hitting long to allow Australia to tie the score at 13-13 but it was Kravarik, again, whose spike put Greece up 16-15 at the second TTO.
Australia, finally recapturing their battling form, sensed a real comeback opportunity as they went in front 18-16.
The Greeks refused to buckle and pinned the Aussies back to 21-21 and took the lead at 23-22 when Earl's netted his spike.
Borgeaud used up his final time-out of the set and then Campbell locked it at 23-23. Kravarik then established match point for Greece - their first in the tournament - and Lappas slammed the winner home.
