UKRAINE 1 GREECE 1:GREECE coach Otto Rehhagel thanked the gods after their win in Ukraine sent them through to next year's World Cup.

Salpigidis slotted home after a precise through ball from Giorgios Samaras to seal Greeces first appearance at the World Cup finals since 1994.

“Our boys were rewarded today for an unbelievable passion and fighting spirit. We said that no road should be too far and before you have success you have to have the gods sweating for you,” he said.

Ukraine, hoping to make it to their second consecutive World Cup, had their opponents on the back foot for much of the game but failed to score.

Greece, who had come as underdogs following their 0-0 draw in the first leg of the European playoff in Athens four days ago, stunned the hosts with a first-half goal from Dimitris Salpigidis.

The German coach was under mounting pressure following Greece’s second place group finish.

Despite stinging media criticism following their lacklustre performance in the first leg where Greece fielded five defenders, he stuck to his guns and again flooded his back line.

Rehhagel, who took charge of Greece in 2001, has now steered the 2004 European champions to one World Cup and two European championships in eight years.

The World Cup will also be the final missing piece of the puzzle for Rehhagel’s 50-year plus career in the game. The 71-year-old has never competed in it, neither as a player nor as a coach.

“It is very painful to end the campaign like this because we deserved to be at the World Cup. We lacked a bit of maturity to fulfil our dream,” Ukraine coach Olexiy Mikhailichenko said.

UKRAINE: Pyatov, Rakitskiy, Kucher, Mykhalyk (Gai 65), Khacheridi, Kobin, Aliev (Seleznyov 57), Tymoschuk, Yarmolenko (Gusev 69), Shevchenko, Milevskiy. Subs Not Used: Bogush, Chygrynskiy, Mandziuk, Rotan. Booked: Khacheridi.

GREECE: Tzorvas, Spyropoulos, Vyntra, Kyrgiakos, Moras, Papastathopoulos (Pliatsikos 29), Katsouranis, Karagounis, Samaras (Gekas 62), Charisteas (Tziolis 71), Salpingidis. Subs Not Used: Sifakis, Makos, Ninis, Mitroglou.Booked: Katsouranis, Vyntra, Kyrgiakos. Goals: Salpingidis 31.

Referee: O Benquerenca (Portugal).