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.

Spain 4-1 Russia

Spain got off to a great start on Tuesday, living up to their billing as Group D favorites. Long lamented as underachievers on the international stage (think Phil Mickelson and the Red Sox before 2004, Peyton Manning before last year's Super Bowl), the Spanish got out of the gate quickly on a rainy Austrian night. They launched attacking runs that allowed star striker Fernando Torres to roam free up top, where he beat overmatched Russian defenders in the first half and either distributed to guys running on at the top of the box or got clean looks at the goal. Spain possessed the ball well, able to play quick square balls just as easily as they were able to pinpoint the long ones to Torres. David Villa put La Roja on the board in the 20th minute, making a smart run from the left midfield toward the top of the box, where he received a pass from Torres, who had beaten his man off the dribble and charged in toward the Russian keeper, and put it into an open net. The second of Villa's scoring troika came just before the halftime whistle, in the 44th minute; it was another example of the power of a counterattack, just like we saw in the Holland-Italy game from yesterday. A botched short corner from the Russians turned into a Spanish counterattack, and the Russians never touched the ball again until they were fetching it from the back of their own net. Villa took the last of several stringed passes in the box and went five-hole on the keeper to give a 2-0 edge going into the locker room. Spain was content to play a possession game in the beginning of the second half; they didn't pack it in, but they weren't attacking with the same ferocity from the first half, either. Villa's third goal was a great display of his individual skill, one where he took another through ball inside the box, beat a Russian defender (sensing a theme from this game?) with a stepover, and beat the keeper for his hat-trick. A sloppy header in injury time from Cesc Fabregas was the icing on the cake, or the garnish on the tapas, or whatever you'd like to call it, a product of the Russians pushing their squad up for a final surge.

It should be noted, however, that the score in this game was misleading. The Russians had plenty of chances in this game, from a shot that hit the left post in the first 10 minutes that would've given the Russians the lead to a poor attempt to finish in injury time (the Russian forward had time to settle it in the box, onsides, had the entire goal to pick his spot, and shot it right at the Spanish keeper, Iker Casillas). Their fans should be encouraged by their ability to string passes together in the offensive half throughout this game; neither team played very good defense, and both could be very entertaining in their final two games. Roman Pavlyuchenko's sizzling header off a corner in the 86th minute was too little too late, but wonder-coach Guus Hiddink's boys should be able to get past Greece and set up a do-or-die third match with Sweden next week. The defense definitely needs to be more sound and not turn the ball over so much, but they won't be against an offense that is anywhere close to as talented as Spain's when they take on Greece on Saturday. It should come as no surprise that a national team essentially made up of all stars from the Spanish league gives its opponents problems.

Group C and D "Re-Previews" will be coming before the second match.