The game between Greece and Sweden finished 2-0 at full-time in their EURO 2008 Group D match at the Wals Siezenheim Stadium in Salzburg on Tuesday evening.
Angelos Charisteas was booked in just the first minute for a foul on Sweden's Petter Hansson, as the game started at high velocity.
Charisteas managed to get a shot on goal in the 7th minute of the match, but his shot was easily picked-up by Andreas Isaksson in the Sweden goal.
With both teams canceling each other out in the early stages Henrik Larsson forced a point blank save from Antonis Nikopolidis in the 17th minute, which would not have counted as the referee’s assistant raised his flag for offside.
The current European Champions Greece looked comfortable against Sweden, without ever really looking like threatening themselves in a half of few chances, with the only real opportunity falling to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who narrowly headed the ball over in the 32nd minute for Sweden.
The Greek fans started to boo their team just before the break, as they lost patience with the Greek’s negative style of play.
The second half started in a bright manner with Christian Wilhelmsson shooting over the bar in the 48th minute for Sweden, shortly after Ibrahimovic rifles a long range free-kick over the bar with Sweden gaining the upper hand.
Vassilis Torosidis booked in the 61st minute for foul on Wilhelmsson before Giorgos Karagounis had his double effort blocked by the Swedish defence in the 63rd minute.
With the game sparking to life Hansson forces his own keeper to save from a headed deflection, from the resulting break Ibrahimovic scored a superb goal in the 67th minute with a stunning strike from the edge of the penalty area after a one two from a throw to score his first International goal in two and a half years.
A bizarre goal from a goal mouth scramble gave Sweden the second a second goal just minutes later, with Hansson latching on to a deflected shot from West Ham's Freddie Ljungberg somehow and turn the ball in from close range in the 72nd minute.
Wilhelmsson was forced off the pitch injured clutching his hamstring, and the player who was on loan at Bolton Wanderers last season is now no longer expected to play any further part in EURO 2008, with Markus Rosenberg taking his place in the 78th minute.
The game finished 2-0 to Sweden, who now sit in second-place in Group D, behind Spain, who beat Russia 4-1 earlier on Tuesday.
Greece Team Nikopolidis, Seitaridis, Dellas (Amanatidis, 70), Kyrgiakos, Katsouranis, Torosidis, Basinas (c), Karagounis, Charisteas, Antzas, Gekas (Samaras, 46).
Greece Substitutes Not Used: Chalkias, Tzorvas, Patsatzoglou, Spiropoulos, Giannakopoulos, Vintra, Salpingidis, Goumas, Tziolis, Liberopoulos.
Sweden Team: Isaksson, Nilsson, Mellberg, Hansson, Alexandersson (Stoor, 74), Svensson, Ljungberg (c) Ibrahimovic (Elmander, 71), H. Larsson, Andersson, Wilhelmsson (Rosenburg, 78).
Sweden Substitutes Not Used: Shaaban, Wiland, Linderoth, Majstorovic, Granqvist, Kallstrom, S. Larsson, Allback, Dorsin.
Angelos Charisteas was booked in just the first minute for a foul on Sweden's Petter Hansson, as the game started at high velocity.
Charisteas managed to get a shot on goal in the 7th minute of the match, but his shot was easily picked-up by Andreas Isaksson in the Sweden goal.
With both teams canceling each other out in the early stages Henrik Larsson forced a point blank save from Antonis Nikopolidis in the 17th minute, which would not have counted as the referee’s assistant raised his flag for offside.
The current European Champions Greece looked comfortable against Sweden, without ever really looking like threatening themselves in a half of few chances, with the only real opportunity falling to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who narrowly headed the ball over in the 32nd minute for Sweden.
The Greek fans started to boo their team just before the break, as they lost patience with the Greek’s negative style of play.
The second half started in a bright manner with Christian Wilhelmsson shooting over the bar in the 48th minute for Sweden, shortly after Ibrahimovic rifles a long range free-kick over the bar with Sweden gaining the upper hand.
Vassilis Torosidis booked in the 61st minute for foul on Wilhelmsson before Giorgos Karagounis had his double effort blocked by the Swedish defence in the 63rd minute.
With the game sparking to life Hansson forces his own keeper to save from a headed deflection, from the resulting break Ibrahimovic scored a superb goal in the 67th minute with a stunning strike from the edge of the penalty area after a one two from a throw to score his first International goal in two and a half years.
A bizarre goal from a goal mouth scramble gave Sweden the second a second goal just minutes later, with Hansson latching on to a deflected shot from West Ham's Freddie Ljungberg somehow and turn the ball in from close range in the 72nd minute.
Wilhelmsson was forced off the pitch injured clutching his hamstring, and the player who was on loan at Bolton Wanderers last season is now no longer expected to play any further part in EURO 2008, with Markus Rosenberg taking his place in the 78th minute.
The game finished 2-0 to Sweden, who now sit in second-place in Group D, behind Spain, who beat Russia 4-1 earlier on Tuesday.
Greece Team Nikopolidis, Seitaridis, Dellas (Amanatidis, 70), Kyrgiakos, Katsouranis, Torosidis, Basinas (c), Karagounis, Charisteas, Antzas, Gekas (Samaras, 46).
Greece Substitutes Not Used: Chalkias, Tzorvas, Patsatzoglou, Spiropoulos, Giannakopoulos, Vintra, Salpingidis, Goumas, Tziolis, Liberopoulos.
Sweden Team: Isaksson, Nilsson, Mellberg, Hansson, Alexandersson (Stoor, 74), Svensson, Ljungberg (c) Ibrahimovic (Elmander, 71), H. Larsson, Andersson, Wilhelmsson (Rosenburg, 78).
Sweden Substitutes Not Used: Shaaban, Wiland, Linderoth, Majstorovic, Granqvist, Kallstrom, S. Larsson, Allback, Dorsin.
