Greece’s vaunted defense is going to have to get a lot tighter if the surprise champions from four years ago are to avoid a humbling first-round exit at this year’s European Championship.
Greece gave up two goals in six minutes of the second half on Tuesday to open their Euro 2008 campaign with a 2-0 loss to Sweden.
“The Greeks didn’t play with heart like they normally do, and the Swedes pushed us hard,” Greece coach Otto Rehhagel said. “Some of my players were unable to play at the level I expected them to,” he said. “They tried hard but it wasn’t enough.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his first international goal in almost three years and Petter Hansson hit the second to give the Swedes three points.
“The players did an excellent job,” Sweden coach Lars Lagerback said. “I think we deserved to win 100 percent.”
Ibrahimovic, set up by strike partner Henrik Larsson, scored in the 67th minute with a powerful shot from the edge of the penalty box. Greece goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis threw himself to the right and got a finger on the ball but it sailed into his upper right corner of the goal.
The last time the Greeks gave up a goal at the continental tournament was in their final group game in 2004, a 2-1 loss to Russia.
Hansson doubled the lead in the 72nd, picking up a rebound off a shot from Fredrik Ljungberg and bundling his way past two defenders to roll the ball over the line. The central defender had nearly given Greece the lead seven minutes earlier when he headed Traianos Dellas’ cross dangerously close to the Swedish goal.
The Greeks, starting with seven players from the winning Euro 2004 squad, mounted a late challenge to come back into the match but a disciplined Swedish defense kept them at bay.
Vassilis Torossidis had the best opportunity when he rushed toward the goal after intercepting a misguided pass but Sweden goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson stopped his shot.
Sweden winger Christian Wilhemsson was carried off the field in the second half after pulling his left hamstring. Lagerback said Wilhemsson could miss Sweden’s upcoming matches against Spain and Russia.
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