Greece and the Czech Republic are set to take the pitch Tuesday for their second game of the group stage at Euro 2012. The Czechs are looking to bounce back after losing their first game to Russia, while the Greeks are looking to assert themselves after a draw with host Poland to open the tournament.
Sports World Report will be following all the action from Municipal Stadium in Wroclaw, so keep checking back to follow the match and weigh in on the action in the comments section.
1' - The match is underway. Petr Cech in goal for the Czech Republic, Kostas Chalkias for the Greeks.
3' - GOAL, CZECH REPUBLIC! The Czechs strike early, going up 1-0 on a tally by Petr Jiracek. A great pass from Tomas Hubschman found Jiracek as he sliced between two Greek defenders, and Chalkias couldn't get enough of the ball to stop it from finding the back of the net.
6' - GOAL, CZECH REPUBLIC! The Czechs are playing with great urgency, and now lead 2-0 on a goal by Vaclav Pilar. Theodor Gebre Selassie makes a great centering pass as he attacked the right goalpost, and Pilar sent it home off his knee as he fell to the ground. Second goal of the tournament for Pilar.
11' - Free kick to Greece, easily saved by Petr Cech.
14' - Greek looks to create an opportunity off a free kick, but the play is ruled offside.
16' - Corner for the Czechs is easily grabbed out of the air by Chalkias.
18' - Another free kick for the Greeks, sent in low by Holebas, and the Greeks reset. Ball sent in for a header by Samaras, but it pops up into the air and is easily snagged by Cech.
19' - Pilar looking for another, but his shot off the right foot goes a few feet left of the goal.
21' - Miscue for the Greeks, as Kyriakos Papadopoulos sneds the ball back to Chalkias, but his return pass caught Papopoulos unaware and went outside.
22' - Substitution in goal for the Greeks, as Chalkias comes out in favor of Michail Sifakis.
26' - Yellow card for Tomas Rosicky, as he made a high kick at the ball and caught Greece's Giorgos Karagounis on the way down.
27' - Free kick to the Czechs as Selassie was hauled down as he looked to advance the ball up the right side.
29' - First save for Sifakis, as he gets a hand on a shot from Rosicky and sends it wide. Corner to the Czechs.
30' - Back to the Greeks, as Samaras gets his head on the corner kick try, and Rosicky sends a shot wide of the goal on the short side.
33' - Corner to the Czechs, headed away by Greece, all the way to Cech, who sends the ball back ahead.
34' - Greece cannot get anything going offensively, and Torosidis picks up a yellow card for a foul on Pilar.
35' - Rare miscue for the Czechs, as Pilar mishandles a throw-n, and the ensuing Greek possession sees Jiracek get handed a yellow.
39' - Pilar with another miscue, as he makes an unforced turnover as the Czechs try to set up their attack. The Czechs get the ball right back, however.
41' - Greece looked to climb back into the game, as Giorgios Fotakis headed a Torosidis setup past Cech and into the goal, but Fotakis was ruled offside. Still 2-0 in favor of the Czech Republic.
45' - Samaras tries another header, but can't get good position to direct the ball into the goal. Too much of Greece's offense relies on the 6'4" Celtic forward.
HALFTIME - A minute of stoppage time was uneventful, and the Czech Republic has ridden its hot start to a 2-0 halftime lead.The two goals in the first six minutes made the Czechs the fastest team to take a 2-0 lead in a Euro game in the history of the tournament. However, it's worth remembering that the Czechs were the last team to cough up a two-goal lead at the Euros, against Turkey in 2008.
46' - Action has resumed at Municipal Stadium. Early chance for Torosidis to put the Greeks on the board, but he couldn't quite get the touch on it. Also of note: Fotakis is done for the day, having given way to Theofanis Gekas in an effort to add more offensive punch.
53' - GOAL, GREECE! Gekas cleans up on a mstake by Petr Cech, who collided with Tomas Sivok as he came out to play the ball. That left an empty net for Gekas, who sent the ball home to give Greece some life.
57' - Dimitris Salpingidis draws a yellow card (questioned by the ESPN announcers) as he makes a late tackle on David Limbersky.
68' - Shot wide for Greece.
71' - Kostas Mitroglou on for Greece, replacing Konstantinos Fortounis.
72' - Greece putting on the pressure, but Gekas is called offside to return the ball to the Czechs.
75' - Samaras tries to send one through for a teammate, but no one can get to the ball before it's scooped up by Cech.
84' - Free kick for Greece safely defended by the Czechs.
88' - Corner to the Czech Republic, but they don't do much with it. No players even lined up in the penalty area.
89' - Cech outraces Salpingidis to get to a loose ball, a late desperate hope for the Greeks.
'90 + 1 - Into the first of three minutes of stoppage time, and a pass intended for Samaras is too strong, negating one of Greece's better possessions of the match (which isn't saying much).
'90 + 3 - Another desperate bid for the Greeks, but nothing doing.
FULL-TIME: Greece 1-2 Czech Republic. A Czech side with its back against the wall steps up bigtime to get on the board. The Greeks, meanwhile, will need to get the job done against Russia in the final game of the group stage if they are to have a hope of advancing.
