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  • Kick-off: 19:45
  • Venue: Wals-Siezenheim, Salzburg
  • Attendance: 30000
  • Referee: Busacca, M

Live Commentary

90mins

Full-Time: GREECE 0-2 SWEDEN.

90mins

Isaksson collects Amanatidis' cross from the right as Sweden remain resolute in defence.

90mins

Three minutes of added time to be played.

89mins

Greece have all but given up the ghost and now face a make-or-break clash with Russia.

87mins

Torosidis almost pulls a goal back as he drives into the Sweden area, but Isaksson make a solid block at his near post.

86mins

Isaksson is told to get on with it by the referee as he takes his time over a goal-kick, it won't make much difference now.

84mins

Antzas is down with cramp and the play comes to a halt as he is helped up.

82mins

Larsson tries a shot but slices his effort high and wide of goal.

82mins

Rosenberg is brought down 20 yards from goal by Paraskevas Antzas.

79mins

Ten minutes to go and Sweden look to be coasting to a crucial victory.

78mins

Markus Rosenberg takes over from Wilhelmsson.

77mins

Wilhelmsson has pulled up with a leg injury and is being helped away to the dressing room.

75mins

Amanatidis does well on the right and his cross reaches Charisteas, but he is crowded out at the near post.

74mins

Sweden introduce Fredrik Stoor for Niclas Alexandersson.

74mins

That must be game over for the reigning champions now, they have it all to do if they are to progress to the knockout stages.

72mins

GREECE 0-2 SWEDEN, Ljungberg is clear in the box, his shot is blocked and ballooned up in the air by Elmander before being bundled home from inches out by HANSSON at the far post.

71mins

Goalscorer Ibrahimovic is taken off and Johan Elmander comes on.

70mins

Ioannis Amanatidis has replaced Dellas for Greece.

69mins

A long ball forward finds Samaras, he turns past a defender, but Hansson is on hand to clear.

68mins

What a superb strike from Ibrahimovic, that should silence some of his doubters.

67mins

GREECE 0-1 SWEDEN, IBRAHIMOVIC plays a one-two with Larsson and thunders a 20-yard right-foot show across Nikopolidis from the right and into the top corner of the net.

65mins

Hansson almost heads past his own keeper as he meets Dellas' cross, but Greece are unable to take advantage from the resulting corner.

64mins

Mikael Nilsson tries an ambitious drive from 40 yards out on the left and it flies a couple of yards over the crossbar.

62mins

Greece break and Karagounis has two efforts blocked in quick succession.

61mins

Sweden break and Vassilios Torosidis is booked for a foul on Ibrahimovic.

61mins

Karagounis whips in a free-kick from the left and Isaksson makes a fine catch under pressure at his far post.

59mins

It's whistles from the Sweden fans again as Greece slow the play down yet again.

58mins

Charisteas tracks all the way back to head back to Nikopolidis to end a Sweden attack.

57mins

Nearly an hour on the clock, can either side find a way to break the deadlock?

54mins

Greece win a corner as Karagounis' free-kick is headed away.

52mins

Ljungberg is sent crashing by Seitaridis and the Greek right-back has his name taken.

51mins

Greece again start to knock the ball around in defence, the Swedish fans really don't like that tactic.

48mins

The ball drifts into the Greek area on the right and Nikopolidis wanders off his line, but Wilhelmsson lifts his shot over the unguarded net.

48mins

Wilhelmsson wins the first corner of the second half.

46mins

Greece have brought on Georgios Samaras for the ineffective Theofanis Gekas.

46mins

Sweden start the second period.

45mins

Half-Time: GREECE 0-0 SWEDEN.

45mins

Wilhelmsson finds some space down the right, but his cross is just too high and Greece are back in numbers to clear.

44mins

Basinas tries his luck from fully 30 yards and Isaksson manages to smuggle the ball away from his far post.

42mins

Ibrahimovic is down injured having received a kick to a very sensitive area.

40mins

Greece knock the ball around their defence, bringing whistles from the Sweden fans.

39mins

Charisteas again finds space down the inside right and fires a right-foot shot at Isaksson from just inside the area.

37mins

Larsson has time and space on the edge of the box, but opts to try and find Ibrahimovic and the ball is cleared by a Greek defender.

35mins

The corner is cleared, now the game has started to catch light.

34mins

Olof Mellberg has to head over his own crossbar as Greece launch a quick counter-attack.

33mins

Larsson finds space on the right and his cross is cleared by Traianos Dellas, before Ibrahimovic nods just over with a back-header as the keeper charges off his line.

31mins

Ibrahimovic is almost in as the corner is played back into the area, but Giourkas Seitaridis is there to get a foot in.

30mins

It's very much cat and mouse stuff, with most of the play congested in midfield before Sweden win another corner.

28mins

Nearly half an hour gone and still no clear chance for either side.

25mins

Charisteas is almost in as Hansson hesitates in his own area, but the ball is eventually hacked away.

23mins

Ibrahimovic does well on the right, but his cross is chested back to keeper Antonios Nikopolidis by Angelos Basinas.

22mins

A smart Swedish attack ends with Ibrahimovic trying a difficult first-time pass to Larsson and it goes out for a goal-kick.

20mins

Ibrahimovic does well on the edge of the Greek area, but the defence holds firm and Freddie Ljungberg takes a knock that stops the game.

18mins

Giorgos Karagounis finally finds some space on the Greek left, he has been kept quiet so far by the Swedish defence.

17mins

A neat attack seems to leave Christian Wilhelmsson with a clear chance, but the offside flag is up as he prepares to shoot.

16mins

The game and the supporters inside the stadium seem to have gone quiet for a couple of minutes.

14mins

Zlatan Ibrahimovic needs to deliver on the big stage, but so far he has failed to get into the game.

12mins

Just the first signs of an opening or two, with both sides keen to move forward.

10mins

Niclas Alexandersson's high cross into the area is half-cleared and Anders Svensson fires a left-foot volley a yard wide from outside the penalty box.

8mins

Katsouranis is down injured in midfield, looks like a knock to his lower back.

7mins

Charisteas makes a superb run down the right, beats a couple of defenders and fires a low left-foot shot straight at Andreas Isaksson.

7mins

No chances for either side as yet, but the game has started quite brightly.

5mins

Konstantinos Katsouranis is battered to the ground in midfield, the game has started with a real edge to play.

3mins

The second corner is cleared and Greece win a free-kick to clear the danger.

3mins

Sweden force the first corner of the game and it's cleared behind for another one.

2mins

Charisteas gets an early yellow card for a late challenge on Petter Hansson.

1mins

Greece get the game underway.

0mins

Sweden's attack is led by Henrik Larsson, who has come out of retirement to boost Lars Lagerback's squad.

0mins

Greek coach Otto Rehhagel includes a number of his heroes from four years ago, including striker Angelos Charisteas.

0mins

Reigning champions Greece get their Euro 2008 campaign underway with a clash with Sweden in Salzburg.

Match Report

Reigning European champions Greece slumped to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Sweden in Salzburg, as the defence of their title started in disappointing fashion.

Greece coach Otto Rehhagel still had a number of the heroes from four years ago in his starting line-up, while the Sweden attack was led by Henrik Larsson, who had come out of international retirement to feature.

The early minutes saw some bruising clashes in midfield, before Greece had the first shot on goal after seven minutes. Angelos Charisteas made a superb run down the right, beat a couple of defenders and fired a low left-foot shot straight at Andreas Isaksson from 15 yards.

Anders Svensson belted a left-foot volley narrowly wide of target soon after, after a corner was only half-cleared, before the game slowed down and became mired in a midfield battle.

Just past the half-hour mark Larsson found space on the right and his cross was cleared by Traianos Dellas. When the ball was played back into the area, Zlatan Ibrahimovic nodded just over with a back-header as keeper Antonios Nikopolidis charged off his line.

Greece responded as half-time approached as Charisteas again found space down the inside right and fired a right-foot shot at Isaksson from just inside the area.

Angelos Basinas then tried his luck from 35 yards and Isaksson had to get down to turn the ball away from his far post.

Early in the second half the ball drifted into the Greek area on the right and Nikopolidis wandered off his line, but Christian Wilhelmsson lifted his shot over the unguarded net.

The game then drifted for long periods, but midway through the second period Petter Hansson almost headed past his own keeper as he met Dellas' cross.

Sweden then scored twice in five minutes to make sure of victory. First Ibrahimovic played a one-two with Larsson and thundered a 20-yard right-foot show across Nikopolidis from the right and into the top corner of the net.

Then Hansson bundled the ball home from close range to make it 2-0, after Freddie Ljungberg had a shot blocked and sub Johan Elmander lifted the loose ball high towards the Greek goal.

Vassilios Torosidis almost grabbed a late consolation, but Isaksson make a solid block at his near post to ensure that Sweden kept a clean sheet and secured a well-deserved victory.

Greece

Sweden

Corners

66

Fouls

1214

Goal attempts

710

Shots off target

27

Offsides

23

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