Spain 2

Greece 1

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

Guiza rose unmarked with two minutes remaining to head in Sergio Garcia’s cross to complete an impressive second-half comeback by Spain, who had fallen behind to Angelos Charisteas’s header just before the interval. However, after a tepid first half, Spain began the second with renewed urgency, Xabi Alonso hitting the post before De la Red made it 1-1 on 61 minutes, rifling in after Daniel Guiza rose to nod the ball into his path. Both went close to sealing a third successive win for Spain, while Charisteas grazed the outside of the post at the other end, before Güiza struck.

With the fates decided for these sides book-ending Group D and the belated arrival of summer to much of Austria, an end-of-term feel prevailed early on in Salzburg. For Greece’s captain for the day, goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis, it was of course exactly that, having announced his international retirement in the wake of the error against Russia that sealed the holders’ elimination.

It was a false dawn. 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 possession, even if Sergio Garcia and Cesc Fabregas in particular did not make the most of it. Yet it spoke volumes when, midway through the first half, Alonso almost caused Nikopolidis further embarassment when he spotted that he had been drawn off his goalline.

If Spain were not exactly peppering Nikopolidis’s goal it was more than Greece were mustering. Greece took the lead three minutes before half-time, Karagounis’s free-kick finding Charisteas all alone and the striker burried his header into the top-left corner. Spain were stung, and 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 upright.

It was a brief respite, and just after the hour De la Red restored parity with a fulsome finish. Both sides had chances to add to the scoring but the stage was set for Guiza, who ensured Spain 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.

* * *

Spain: Pepe Reina, Raul Albiol, Fernando Navarro, Andres Iniesta (Santi Cazorla), Cesc Fabregas, Xabi Alonso, Sergio Garcia, Daniel Guiza, Alvaro Arbeloa, Juanito, Ruben de la Red.

Greece: Antonis Nikopolodis, Nikos Spiropoulos, Traianos Dellas, Angelos Basinas, Angelos Charisteas, Giorgios Karagounis (Alexandros Tziolis), Loukas Vintra, Dimitris Salpingidis (Stelios Giannakopoulos), Sotris Kyrgiakos (Parasvekas Antzas), Giannis Amanatidis, Kostos Katsouranis

Scorers: Charisteas 42 min (G), de la Red 61 min (S), Guiza 88 min (S)

Referee: Howard Webb (England)