The UEFA Euro 2008 Match between Sweden and Greece at Salzburg's EM Stadion Wals-Siezenhaeim promised to be a slow and stolid defensive struggle. Unfortunately for Greexce, Sweden was able to create some excitement.
Greece is famous for its airtight defense with five defensive backs at time, and Sweden also has a strong back four. The playstyle was a sharp contrast to the wide-open Dutch match, or the Spain-Russia match played earlier that day.
Greece used its defense-first strategy to win the UEFA Euro Championship in 2004.
Scoring chances in the first half were mainly the result of long lead passes and powerful personal efforts, as forwards tried to get behind the defense for shots.
The first half offered a lot of high-quality soccer, and several moments of excitement. In particular, the Swedish team got forward Zlatan Ibramhimovic free for a header at an open net, but the ball went just over the crossbar.
Both teams were waiting for the one or two excellent scoring chances that might come their way in the course of the match, and were not willing to press on offense, and this create an opening.
The Greek team was almost fanatical in eschewing offense for safety, sometimes not even following loose balls up the pitch. The Greek strategy was to frustrate the opposing team into making rash attacks and creating opening. However, Sweden was far too careful.
With one minute left in the half, Greek midfielder Angelos Basinas drove a bouncing shot at the right side of the Swedish net, almost fooling the Swedish keeper. Sweden drove back quickly, taking the ball deep into the Greek end, but no Swedish players could get to the header across the front of the Greek net, and the half ended with no score.
Sweden Gets the Breaks in the Second Half
Sweden experimented with bring a fullback up to help with offense, but every time they did the Greek team would clear long and threaten.
After one hour of play, Sweden had yet to get a shot on goal.
Finally with sixty-six minutes gone, Sweden got a break. Zlatan Ibramhimovic took a long shot from the right side, which was blocked, but which made the Greek keeper, Antonis Nikopolidis move to his left.
The blocked shot bounced right back to Ibramhimovic, who immediately drove it to the top left corner of the net, catching Nikopolidis out of position.
A few minutes later, the Swedes got yet another lucky break, as the Greeks got caught completely out of position.
The Greeks were swapping players, bringing in another attacker to replace a defensive back.
While the Greeks were adjusting, three Swedish players got behind the Greek defensive backs, and a lucky feed squeezed through to set up a shot. The first attempt was blocked, but the rebound went up in the air right over the front of the net.
One Greek defender collided with a Swede trying for the header, and knocked himself out of the play. The remaining Swedish attackers swung repeatedly at the bouncing ball, as the remaining Greek back and the keeper scrambled madly to grab or clear the bouncing sphere.
The ball bounced off the back of the falling Greek defender, eluded Nikopolidis, and struck the knee of a Swedish forward Petter Hansson, bouncing into the net.
This gave Sweden a 2–nil lead with only twenty minutes to play. For the defensive-minded Greek team, this was an insurmountable lead.
Euro 2008 Soccer
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