Minute by Minute: Greece - Sweden

Jonathan Roorda - 10 June 2008 20:14

Greece striker Angelos Charisteas

SALZBURG (SW) - Day 4 of Euro 2008 continued with the Group

D clash between the Greece and Sweden. SoccerWay kept you up to date on the most important events.

Final score: <b>0-2</b>

More match information: <a href="http://www.soccerway.com/match/european-championships/greece/sweden/529749/">Here</a>.

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FULL TIME - It's over and Sweden earn their first three points of Euro 2008. Greece will have to consider serious changes ahead of their next match.

Minute 87: Torosidis forces Isaksson to make a save and Greece get a corner kick, which comes to nothing.

Minute 82: Larsson is the one to take it but it goes wide and over.

Minute 82: Sweden get a free kick at a dangerous position. Svensson or Larsson could take it.

Minute 78: Markus Rosenberg comes on to replace the seriously injured Wilhelmsson.

Minute 76: A low cross from Amanatidis almost reaches Charisteas but Isaksson collects. Wilhelmsson has disappeared and won't be returning for the rest of this match. Maybe not even the tournament.

Minute 75: Wilhelmsson seems to have suffered a muscular injury and is receiving treatment off the pitch. This could be serious.

Minute 74: Sweden manager Lars Lagerback takes off Alexandersson for Stoor.

Minute 72: <b>GOAL SWEDEN (0-2) - PETTER HANSSON</b> - Ljungberg has a shot blocked by Nikopolidis but in the following chaos, defender Hansson gets in the right place to net Sweden's second of the night! This match seems decided.

Minute 71: Goalscorer Ibrahimovic comes of for Sweden. The striker is replaced with Elmander.

Minute 70: Dellas Traianos is taken off by Rehhagel, and the new addition is Amanatidis.

Minute 69: In 2004, Greece trailed only once in the entire tournament. That match, in the group phase against Russia, ended in a defeat to Rehhagel's team.

Minute 67: <b>GOAL SWEDEN (0-1) - ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC</b> breaks the deadlock with his first goal for Sweden since 2005. The striker receives the ball outside the penalty area and his following diagonal shot flies past Nikopolidis into the far corner!

Minute 66: Danger near the Swedish goal as a Samaras cross is almost headed into his own goal by Hansson. Fortunately for Sweden, it goes wide.

Minute 62: Poor Swedish defense gives Karagounis two chances to shoot but the Scandinavians block both attempts.

Minute 61: Torosidis fouls Wilhelmsson on the left wing and gets a yellow card.

Minute 58: If the coming thirty minutes go by goalless, it won't be a surprise. This match takes place mostly in midfield and neither team is able - or willing - to break through the opposing defense.

Minute 52: Svensson flicks it to Ibrahimovic, whose following shot goes over the crossbar.

Minute 52: A free kick to Sweden and a yellow card for Seitaridis for a foul on Ljungberg. Could be dangerous.

Minute 49: Good chance for Sweden but Wilhelmsson doesn't take enough time to perform his effort and it goes over the bar.

Minute 46: The second half begins with a change up front for the Greeks. Samaras comes on for Gekas. Question is how that will affect things tonight.

HALF TIME - A half not to remember. Very few chances were created in Salzburg and that is mostly thanks to the very defensive style by the Greeks. So far, Rehhagel's men haven't performed the way European Champions should.

Minute 45: A shot from Angelos Basinas forces Isaksson to make a diving save. Would have been something if the Greeks scored now after their display in the last five minutes.

Minute 41: The crowd begin to lose their patience with the quality of this match. Especially the Greeks show very little inspiration and just spent a minute passing back and forth on their own half.

Minute 39: Charisteas launches a shot on goal but it's too weak and Isaksson collects.

Minute 37: Henrik Larsson gets a chance to shoot but he's too modest and takes too much time. The Greeks clear again.

Minute 32: Ibrahimovic now very close to the opener. A looping pass from the back ends up on the forward's head and the ball goes just over the crossbar. Sweden are getting stronger now.

Minute 31: Sweden get a corner kick and Zlatan Ibrahimovic eventually gets the ball in front of his feet but a Greek defender gets in the way and clears.

Minute 28: It has to be said; the pace really went down since the opening phase. And it's not hard to remember that this is what the Greeks kept taking advantage of four years ago.

Minute 25: Gekas gets the ball to Charisteas in the Swedish penalty area, but the latter doesn't get the time to try a shot as Nilsson gets in the way.

Minute 18: Karagounis brings in a cross from the left wing but Hansson clears.

Minute 11: Good shot from Anders Svensson, but the ball curves about a meter wide of the left post.

Minute 9: Katsouranis needed treatment after a clash with Andersson, but seems ready to continue.

Minute 7: The overall pace isn't as low as many expected for this match, and the Greeks just created their first chance. Charisteas battles his way into the penalty area and has the following shot stopped by Isaksson.

Minute 2: A very early yellow card goes to Angelos Charisteas for a foul on Hansson.

Kick-off: The match has begun, and so has Greece's attempt to become the first team ever to successfully defend the Euro title.

Pre-match: The weather is comfortable at 23 degrees and no rain in Mozart's birth town, Salzburg.

Pre-match: The last two teams are about to start their Euro 2008 campaign with Greece facing Sweden. Will defending champions Greece make as good a start to their tournament as they did against Portugal four years ago?