Sweden 2 Greece 0SO NOW it is official. Lightning does not strike twice in the same European Championship place. In losing 2-0 to Sweden in Salzburg last night, reigning European Champions Greece returned to their normal far from lofty international status as very much an "also-ran".
Portugal four years ago was nothing less than a midsummer month's one-off dream.
There will be no repeat.
At Euro 2004, Greece won the tournament but few new friends with their tightly organised, heavily defensive game. After last night's negative and uninspiring performance, even those few friends will probably be keeping a low profile this morning.
Emblematic of the Greek attitude was a five-minute period right before half-time when the three Greek central defenders, Traianos Dellas, Paraskevas Antzas and Sotiris Krygiakos decided to play keepball amongst themselves.
With Sweden in position and reluctant to hassle the Greek defenders, it looked for a while as if we might be stuck there for the rest of the night, just inside the Greek half with absolutely nothing happening. Most pre-match warm-ups are a deal more intensive and interesting.
If it had been a frustrating, unedifying and scoreless first half, the blame sat squarely on the shoulders of the speculative Greeks. Sweden are certainly not the most brilliantly dynamic team at this tournament, but they do go out there to play football, not keepball.
They had hassled, huffed and puffed for the first 45 minutes, but had caused few real problems for Greek goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis.
Just when it seemed as if we were heading for another tedious 0-0 draw, however, sporting justice was done and done in truly fitting style. If there was one player of real talent and class on the Salzburg pitch last night — and it is arguable that he was the only one — it is Sweden's Inter Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
He it was, less than fully fit and in doubt right up to the beginning of this tournament, who broke the ice with a typically brilliant individual goal.
Picking up a throw from Niclas Alexandersson on the right, he made a little ground before working a truly superb one-two with that talented old warrior, Henrik Larsson. Given half a sight of goal, the Inter man unleashed a piledriver of a shot from just outside the area that left Nikopolidis with no chance for a 67th-minute goal.
Almost immediately, one had a sense that justice had been done. Greece rode their negative, utterly defensive game for all it was worth to win the title four years ago, but it was not to be last night.
Proof positive that the Gods had turned their backs on Greece came just six minutes later when Kryiakos, Nikopolidis and Seitardis all got in one another's way as they attempted to block Swedish defender Petter Hansson who had followed up on a nothing ricochet.
The move had begun when Sweden's Freddy Ljunberg was put clean through by Larsson. The West Ham man fluffed a golden chance when his shot was blocked by Nikopolidis, but the Greek goalkeeper's save was knocked back goalwards by Daniel Andersson who was at full stretch to get to the ball at all.
Andersson's shot hung awkwardly in the air and, as the Greek defensive trio scrambled back to make what should have been a straightforward clearance, somehow the ball bounced off Hansson's back, Seitardis' thigh and Nikopolidis's nose and into the net for a farcical goal.
Few neutrals will have much sympathy for Greece. They got what they deserved last night.
So too, perhaps, did striker Ibrahimovic. Just one month ago, he was hauled out of the club infirmary at Inter Milan by a desperate coach, Roberto Mancini, on the very last day of the season to help lift the Italian title.
Last night, it was more of the same, as he was hauled off the injured list by Swedish coach Lars Lagerback.
Speaking after the game, the hero of the night summed it all up neatly if in not always perfect English, describing his reaction to the winning goal thus: "I reacted very strong, you can see that yourselves if you look at the TV.
"I was very happy. I go 14 games without scoring a goal for Sweden so it was a great time to score one, here at the finals. Now we've got to take this confidence with us into the next two games"
SWEDEN:Isaksson; Alexandersson, Mellberg, Hanson, Nilsson; Wilhelmsson, Svensson, Ljungberg; Andsersson; Larsson, Ibrahimovic. Subs: Elmander for Ibrahimovic (71 mins); Stoor for Alexandersson (74); Rosenberg for Wilhelmsson (78).
GREECE:Nikopolidis; Seitaridis, Kyrgiakos, Antzas, Dellas, Torosidis; Bassinas, Katsouranis; Charisteas, Karagounis; Gekas. Subs: Samaras for Gekas (46 mins); Amanatidis for Dellas, (70).
Referee:M Busacca (Switzerland).
