Greece 0-2 Sweden

I didn't see much of this one live on the DVR, but was advised but both friends and journalists to avoid the first half like the plague. This was due to the fact that Greece implemented their no-fun style that led them to the Euro 2004 title, which involves basically acting like there is no goal, and the object is to play keep-away in the defensive third. Grant Wahl observed it as a victory for any neutral fan who likes seeing good soccer, and I trust his opinion (and not just because I'll be interviewing him tomorrow). This isn't to say Greece didn't have several good chances, they just didn't play particularly aggressively on the offensive end. I don't know if I've ever seen a greater disparity between two goals from one team in the same game. The first, from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, was maybe the best goal of the tournament so far. The tall Swede (redundant?) was on the receiving end of a one-two and fired an awesome shot, across his body, that rang in the top left corner of the net. They don't come much better than that one. The second one, on the other hand, was a complete disaster. I won't even try to describe it, I'll only say that there were bodies everywhere, guys taking swings at the ball, and it somehow ended up trickling into the Greek net. Disgusting. I feel foolish now for picking against Sweden when I originally liked them. That's the last time I'm talked out of a pick, especially one that makes me switch to a team who didn't qualify for the World Cup. Oh well, not much else to say about this one from this end. Spain-Sweden should be sensational on Saturday. In the meantime, Swedish meatballs and IKEA furniture for all.