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Alexandros Tzorvas (born August 12, 1982 in Karditsa) is a Greek goalkeeper currently playing for Panathinaikos. Early career Ηe began his career from Panathinaikos renowned football academy but despite his potential he found it hard to get opportunities in the first team as the more experienced Antonis Nikopolidis, Konstantinos Chalkias and Stefanos Kotsolis provided more than full cover for the goalkeeping position. Due to the strong competition and as the team laid hopes on him for the future in the next 4 years he was loaned to the affiliated teams of Agios Nikolaos, Markopoulo and Thrasyvoulos in order to gain experience. In 2005 Panathinaikos recalled him from loan as a cover for Mario Galinovic and Pierre Ebede. OFI Crete A lack of first team opportunities led to his trade to OFI with Orestis Karnezis – a hot goalkeeping prospect too – following the opposite path. A string of very good performances made him quickly a starter for the team from Crete even though his transfer was looked critically by OFI fans mainly because of what they see as one sided "colonial"-style agreements that their team is signing with Panathinaikos. In 2008, Tzorvas became the Second Greek Best Goalkeeper behind the legendary Antonis Nikopolidis. Return to Panathinaikos During the 2008–09 season, Panathinaikos recalled him from OFI with Arkadiusz Malarz taking the opposite way. Although Mario Galinovic is considered the first option for the goalkeeper position for the 2008–2009 season, Tzorvas had his chances already in October being in the starting 11 for a few games for the Greek Superleague and the Champions' League. For the 2009–2010 Super League season, beginning from the match against Aris Thessaloniki F.C., he is considered a basic choice for the goalkeeper position, mainly due to bad performances by teammate Mario Galinovic. One of Tzorvas's greatest career accomplishments to date came in Greece's 2009 home-and-away World Cup playoff with Ukraine. Tzorvas turned away the Ukrainian attack for the entire 180 minutes over ties in Athens and Donetsk, sustaining the Greeks' 1–0 aggregate victory that sent the team to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Tzorvas is a die-hard fan of Panathinaikos. Once, in a game against Olympiakos at Karaiskákis Stadium, he went in front of the partisan opposition fans and kissed the shamrock badge on his shirt. After the FIFA World Cup 2010, many Italian clubs have expessed interest in signing him. National team As of 21 of March Otto Rehhagel called Tzorvas as third choice GK for the friendly against Portugal on 26 March at Frankfurt, Germany in 2008.[2] After the retirement of Antonis Nikopolidis from the national team, Tzorvas is considered the second goalkeeper for Greece. Tzorvas made his senior international debut for Greece on November 19, 2008 in a friendly match against World Cup Champions, Italy at the Karaiskákis Stadium in Piraeus. At the FIFA World Cup 2010, he was the starting goalkeeper in all three group matches, beating off competition from Kostas Chalkias and Michalis Sifakis. The 17 of November 2010 against Austria Tzorvas saved a penalty allowing the Greek National Team to win 2–1 away from home. Honours Panathinaikos * Super League Greece: 2009–2010
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