Russia V Portugal: 0-2
goals frm maniche n subst rui costa..e man blamed by mani 4 Sat's opening defeat by Greece..were enuff 2 c off 10 man Russia...e win sets up a mouth-watering final Grp A clash wif arch rivals Spain @ e Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon...scolari wielded e axe as 3 members of e bac 4 hu started e ill fated opening dae clash wif Greece..ferreira,couto n rui jorge..made way 4 miguel,ricardo carvalho n nuno valente..while rui costa's place went 2 deco...e changes meant only 1 member of Portugal's famed golden generation..skipper figo..remained in e side...e portuguese started @ a gallop..deco,figo n simao dragging e russian defense al over e pitch as dey interchanged in a bid 2 create e space dey needed 2 break thru...in fact..it took dem juz 7 mins 2 fashion e opening which gt dem off 2 e perfect start..maniche swivelling on deco's ball in2 e box 2 bury a right foot shot in ovchinnikov's bottom left corner...e russians played sum nice football wif e limited amt of possession dey were afforded..bt had oni long range n inaccurate free kicks frm loskov n karyaka 2 show 4 deir efforts...deir plight deepened on e stroke of half time when ovchinnikov was sold short by sennikov's backpass n was adjudged 2 hav handled outside his area 2 prevent pauleta capitalising by referee hauge...den deco forced a gd save frm malafeev wif a dipping 74th min drive..b4 ronaldo entered e fray as a 78th min replacement 4 figo...gomes mite hav calmed thgs down wif five mins remaining..although he failed 2 get his shot away...bt rui costa did e trick wif a min remaining..converting ronaldo's cross frm close range 2 ensure sun's showdown assumes massive proportions...
Greece V Spain: 1-1
Greece followed up deir opening day victory over Portugal wif a hard fought 1-1 draw against Grp A rivals Spain...Spain dominated long spells n played sum enterprising football..particularly thru subst joaquin down e right..bt failed 2 build on morientes' 1st half goal in e 28th min...wif e greeks struggling 2 contain e spanish skill..dey were cut open on 28 mins when morientes ans his critics wif a fine goal..raul's backheel presented e Monaco man wif e opportunity..bt morientes stil produced a neat side step b4 drilling e ball past nikopolidis...e underdogs fought 4 evrythg n conceded a string of bkings..bt in an increasingly fractious match earned a pt wif a surprise equalizer frm striker charisteas..in the 66th min when tsiartas' ball found charisteas on e left of e box n e striker raced in2 e area 2 hit a rising shot which deflected off casillas high in2 e net...
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vanna
16:44
