First international goals for Rubén de la Red and Daniel Güiza earned a second-string Spain team a 2-1 comeback victory as Greece’s hopes of ending their UEFA European Championship title defence on a high were spoiled at the last.

Comeback
RCD Mallorca’s Güiza rose unmarked with two minutes remaining to head in Sergio García’s cross, and complete an impressive second-half revival by Spain, who had fallen behind to Angelos Charisteas’s header just before the break. However, after a tepid first half, Spain began the second with renewed vigour – Xabi Alonso hitting the post before Real Madrid CF’s De la Red made it 1-1 on 61 minutes, rifling in after Güiza had nodded the ball into his path. The same pair almost added gloss to this third successive win for Spain, while Charisteas grazed the outside of the post at the other end, but it was Güiza who had the last word.

Nikopolidis nerves
With the fate of the two sides bookending Group D already decided, and given the belated arrival of the Austrian summer, an end-of-term feel prevailed early on in Salzburg. For Greece’s captain for the day, goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis, it was exactly that, with the 37-year-old having announced his international retirement in the wake of his error against Russia that sealed the holders’ elimination. But while he may have been forgiven a few pre-match nerves at the Stadion Salzburg Wals-Siezenheim, these were quickly eased. The cheers of the Greece supporters behind his goal had barely died down when Nikopolidis was presented with a comfortable save,  collecting Güiza’s dinked cross after the forward failed to realise how much time Andrés Iniesta’s expertly disguised pass had given him.

Alonso special
It was a false dawn in terms of attacking spectacle. Stung by the premature end to their campaign, Greece were circumspect at first despite the wide threat of recalled pair Giorgos Karagounis and Dimitris Salpingidis. Spain had the better of the possession, even if García and Cesc Fàbregas in particular did not make the most of it. Alonso offered a more serious threat midway through the opening period when he almost caused Nikopolidis embarrassment after spotting that he had been drawn off his goalline. The Liverpool FC midfielder nearly added another to his collection of goals from his own half, but with Nikopolidis scrambling, his attempt dropped just the wrong side of the upright.

Charisteas strike
If Spain were not exactly peppering Nikopolidis’s goal, however, it was still more than Greece were mustering. Yet Otto Rehhagel’s UEFA EURO 2004™ winners in Portugal were hardly renowned for their attacking play either – instead neutralising opponents and making their few chances pay, often from dead-ball situations. They found exactly that route to goal three minutes before half-time, with Karagounis’s free-kick finding Charisteas all alone and the No9 burying his header into the top-left corner.

Turnaround
Goaded into action, Luis Aragonés’s team were almost level soon after half-time as space opened up for Alonso to rifle an unstoppable effort that Nikopolidis was grateful to see come back off his post. It was a brief let-off for the Blue and Whites, and just after the hour De la Red restored parity with a fulsome finish. Both sides had opportunities to add to the scoring but the stage was set for Güiza, who ensured Spain would go into Sunday’s quarter-final against Italy in Vienna on the back of a 100 per cent record in Group D. For Greece, it is home time.

Greece coach Otto Rehhagel wants his players to deliver a performance “worthy of the team” and finish UEFA EURO 2008 on a high against Spain in their final Group D match in Salzburg.

No holding back
With their reign as European champions over following defeats by Sweden and Russia, Greece are aiming to restore pride when they meet Luis Aragonés’s section winners at the Stadion Salzburg, Wals-Siezenheim. And Rehhagel is keen to see his team conclude their involvement in the competition on a positive note. “It’s my intention, and I’ve told my team the same, to play at 100 per cent, not to hold back,” said the 69-year-old German. “We must finish the tournament in a way that is worthy of our team. The new faces who will come into the lineup will have to show they deserve to play for the national team.”

Differing fortunes
While Spain are already through to the quarter-finals after collecting six points from wins over Russia and Sweden, Greece lie fourth after failing to take a point or register a goal so far. Rehhagel, who confirmed he would be making changes to his team, admitted the Spanish had impressed him. “I think the Spain team is exceptional,” he said. “They have proved their quality in the last two matches and we will have to be at our best tomorrow, even if their coach makes changes. It’s important for us to play along the same lines as we did against Russia.” With Fanis Gekas out after fracturing his cheekbone against Russia, Rehhagel confirmed that striker Dimitris Salpingidis would start up front, while full-backs Loukas Vintra and Nikos Spiropoulos could replace Giourkas Seitaridis and Vassilis Torosidis.

Spanish changes
Spain have enjoyed themselves thus far, building on their opening 4-1 win over Russia with a last-gasp 2-1 victory against Sweden – performances which have made them one of the tournament favourites. Aragonés is expected to make up to ten changes to his lineup, with FC Barcelona midfielder Andrés Iniesta likely to be the only player to keep his place. “The changes are both to rest players and to give a chance to others to show why there are in the national squad,” explained the coach. “We already have some problems with fatigue with [Carles] Puyol for example, so the most important thing is to rest players. 

Italy next
“As coach I must have the intelligence to think, ‘We are already in the next stage and I should also give players a chance’,” he added. Especially with world champions Italy awaiting them in the last eight in Vienna on Sunday. That said, the 69-year-old Aragonés maintained that his players would be fully motivated to continue their sparkling form. “I expect my players to give a great performance against Greece, to show why they are in the squad and to win.”

Russia’s young stars had been urged to "learn fast" by their coach Guus Hiddink and they came of age in Salzburg as Konstantin Zyryanov’s solitary goal earned them a 1-0 win against Greece, thus ending Otto Rehhagel’s team’s reign as kings of Europe. After both sides had lost their opening matches in UEFA EURO 2008™ Group D, the stakes were high at the Stadion Wals-Siezenheim, but Russia emerged victorious and knocked defending champions Greece out of the tournament.
Nikopolidis error
The only goal will haunt Greece goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis long into the night as he inexplicably chased a cross by Diniyar Bilyaletdinov that had already cleared his posts by five or six metres all the way to the touchline, and he was made to pay the full price for his 33rd-minute excursion. The Olympiacos CFP keeper was beaten to the ball by Russia captain Sergei Semak, who hooked it back over his head and Zyryanov was on hand to guide it ever so simply into an unguarded net. 

Constant threat
Roman Pavlyuchenko, who recovered from a groin injury to start the match, was a constant threat to Greece and he created the first real opening in the 14th minute with a curling shot from the corner of the penalty area and Nikopolidis had to be at full stretch to tip it over the bar. From the resulting corner, Yuri Zhirkov flashed a shot a metre wide and Russia appeared the stronger of the two teams in the opening exchanges.

Semshov clearance
The closest Greece came to Russia’s goal in the first half came in the 20th minute when Angelos Charisteas just failed to connect to a free-kick cross from his captain, Angelos Basinas. Midfielder Igor Semshov cleared the danger in highly irregular fashion, the ball bouncing up off his boot and into his face before passing harmlessly wide.

Pavlyuchenko close
Nikopolidis was kept on his toes early in the second half by Pavlyuchenko, who twice fired in his direction and forced him into saves, and the FC Spartak Moskva striker then cut inside two defenders before dragging his shot into the side-netting. Greece, realising their hold on the European crown was slipping, rallied and Basinas had an excellent opportunity to level in the 55th minute, though his left-footed shot from close to the penalty spot was much too high.
Greece bow out
Russian counterattacks were always a danger from that point and a clever backheel by Pavlyuchenko almost set up Bilyaletdinov for a second, but he could not find the target from a promising position. Although Greece had more to lose in the closing stages, Russia appeared far more likely to add to their tally than concede an equaliser, until Fanis Gekas finally found the Russian net late on, only to be ruled offside.