Euro 2008 - Day 4: Sweden Defeats Greece In Ugliest Match Of Tournament
June 11th 2008 00:16
Boy, was that game badly played or what? It reminded me of when I was playing back in secondary school. Bad passing, long-range passes/crosses that went nowhere, kamikaze play by defenders - it was downright ugly.
As was the case in 2004, the Greeks opted for a defensive tactic to start off their tournament. With five men at the back, four midfielders, and a lone striker in front, Greece was content to just sit back and take their chances on the counterattack. The Swedes had most of the possession during the game; well, they had the most effective possession anyway. I say “most effective” because if you look at official stats, the possession percentage stands at 55% for Greece and 45% for Sweden. Those stats are actually deceiving because the Greek defenders spent long stretches of time passing the ball between themselves in their own half, drawing incessant booing from the crowd. Sweden had most of the ball during the first half, constantly attacking the Greeks' camp but they always stopped short of finishing their final play. Their final pass always left something to be desired with passes getting intercepted or crosses being too high or too low.
The second half was more of the same except that the play degraded a bit. The Greeks didn't seem to be on the same page with each other as two-thirds of their diagonal crosses went out of bounds or got intercepted. The match was also very physical with Ibrahimovic getting kicked in his crotch (that must've hurt). Neither team looked like scoring even though they both had their chances. Ibrahimovic finally broke the deadlock at the 67th minute. The goal came out of nowhere, completely going against the general feel of the game. After a nice give-and-go with Henrik Larsson, Ibrahimovic fired a rocket of a shot that caught everyone by surprise. And just like that, Sweden led 1-0. Five minutes later, defender Petter Hansson scored the second goal of his team. If it were hockey, commentators would call it a garbage goal. It was one of the ugliest goal ever seen as the Greek defense missed their clearance, the ball was sent back in the box where Hansson was waiting. Distracted by the two Greek defenders around him, Hansson missed his header, the ball bounced to the ground, bounced on his thighs and trickled through Nikopolidis' legs for the goal.
The Swedes have now three points in the bank while the defending champions have none. Everything is still wide open in this group though. Spain looks like a team vastly superior than the others but I still fear that they might flame out sooner or later. I hope that they'll prove me wrong this time around.
My man of the match: Ibrahimovic. The striker was everywhere in Greece's half of the field. His goal was an amazing shot and,well, he got kicked in the crotch and was still able to keep on playing. That has to count for something.
Honorable mention: Fredrik Ljungberg. The Calvin Klein model got pushed around by the Greek defenders but he still kept playing despite not being fully recovered from a cracked rib.
As was the case in 2004, the Greeks opted for a defensive tactic to start off their tournament. With five men at the back, four midfielders, and a lone striker in front, Greece was content to just sit back and take their chances on the counterattack. The Swedes had most of the possession during the game; well, they had the most effective possession anyway. I say “most effective” because if you look at official stats, the possession percentage stands at 55% for Greece and 45% for Sweden. Those stats are actually deceiving because the Greek defenders spent long stretches of time passing the ball between themselves in their own half, drawing incessant booing from the crowd. Sweden had most of the ball during the first half, constantly attacking the Greeks' camp but they always stopped short of finishing their final play. Their final pass always left something to be desired with passes getting intercepted or crosses being too high or too low.
The second half was more of the same except that the play degraded a bit. The Greeks didn't seem to be on the same page with each other as two-thirds of their diagonal crosses went out of bounds or got intercepted. The match was also very physical with Ibrahimovic getting kicked in his crotch (that must've hurt). Neither team looked like scoring even though they both had their chances. Ibrahimovic finally broke the deadlock at the 67th minute. The goal came out of nowhere, completely going against the general feel of the game. After a nice give-and-go with Henrik Larsson, Ibrahimovic fired a rocket of a shot that caught everyone by surprise. And just like that, Sweden led 1-0. Five minutes later, defender Petter Hansson scored the second goal of his team. If it were hockey, commentators would call it a garbage goal. It was one of the ugliest goal ever seen as the Greek defense missed their clearance, the ball was sent back in the box where Hansson was waiting. Distracted by the two Greek defenders around him, Hansson missed his header, the ball bounced to the ground, bounced on his thighs and trickled through Nikopolidis' legs for the goal.
The Swedes have now three points in the bank while the defending champions have none. Everything is still wide open in this group though. Spain looks like a team vastly superior than the others but I still fear that they might flame out sooner or later. I hope that they'll prove me wrong this time around.
My man of the match: Ibrahimovic. The striker was everywhere in Greece's half of the field. His goal was an amazing shot and,well, he got kicked in the crotch and was still able to keep on playing. That has to count for something.
Honorable mention: Fredrik Ljungberg. The Calvin Klein model got pushed around by the Greek defenders but he still kept playing despite not being fully recovered from a cracked rib.
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