Russian defender Alexander Anyukov tackles Greece’s Vassilis Torosidis during their group D match on Saturday. (AFP)

Salzburg: Greece defended and lost, then attacked and lost. No matter what the defending champions do in their final match at the European Championship, they’ll be going home (as briefly reported in Sunday’s Late City edition).

The surprise winners from four years ago were eliminated from Euro 2008 on Saturday after losing to Russia 1-0, completing their second straight match without scoring a goal.

“Back in 2004, a miracle happened, but that happens maybe every 30 years,” Greece coach Otto Rehhagel said. “Otherwise, if it happened every week, it wouldn’t be a miracle.”

The Greeks needed at least a draw to stay in contention in group D, but Konstantin Zyryanov’s 33rd minute goal, combined with Spain’s 2-1 win over Sweden, left Greece with nothing to play for in their third and final match. The result also put Spain into the European Championship quarter finals and leaves Greece as the only team in the tournament without a goal.

Zyryanov’s third international goal in 14 appearances came after Sergei Semak had acrobatically collected a long cross from Diniyar Bilyaletdinov and sent it back across goal, with goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis chasing the loose ball.

Greece nearly equalised in the 87th when Angelos Charisteas knocked the ball into an empty net, but Fanis Gekas had been whistled for offside. “They showed tonight that they know what a high-level, high-standard football is,” Russia coach Guus Hiddink said about his players, who lost to Spain 4-1 in their opener.

“I’m very happy they reacted very fast.”

Spain lead group D with six points, and is assured of playing in the knockout round no what happens against Greece on Wednesday in Salzburg. Russia and Sweden play at the same time in Innsbruck with one of the two advancing.

“The game will be a different game,” Hiddink said. “It will be a tough game against Sweden. They are tough and they are experienced.”

Greece became the fourth defending champion to be eliminated from the first round of the European Championship. Germany were knocked out at the same stage in both the 1984 and 2000 tournaments, and Denmark followed up their remarkable run to the title in 1992 by going out in the first round in ‘96.

The Greeks dropped their five-man defence from the opening match in favour of a more attacking formation. And even though the defenders were playing far more forward than usual, the Greeks failed to create any great opportunities to score in the first half.

The introduction of Giorgos Karagounis for the injured Giourkas Seitaridis late in the first half sparked some more forward movement, but most of Greece’s chances were barely a threat to Russia and its goalkeeper Igor Akinfeyev.

Russia, despite playing without the suspended Andrei Arshavin or the injured Pavel Pogrebnyak, still attacked relentlessly, with Roman Pavlyuchenko leading the way. Pavlyuchenko had been questionable for the match with a right thigh injury, but he started and had shots early in each half that Nikopolidis had to save, one by tapping over the bar in the 14th.

Greece’s best chance for a goal came in the 20th when captain Angelos Basinas sent in a free kick. Charisteas missed a chance to head the ball from close range, but Igor Semshov almost scored an own-goal as the ball went off his foot and then his chest before just missing wide while Charisteas gave chase.

The Greek team’s one shot on goal in the first half came from Christos Patsatzoglou, whose effort from the centre of the field went straight at Akinfeyev.

TEAMS

Russia: Igor Akinfeyev; Alexander Anyukov, Denis Kolodin, Sergei Ignashevich, Yuri Zhirkov (Vasily Berezutsky 87); Sergei Semak; Dmitry Torbinsky, Konstantin Zyryanov, Igor Semshov, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (Ivan Saenko 70); Roman Pavlyuchenko

Greece: Antonis Nikopolidis; Giourkas Seitaridis (Giorgios Karagounis 40), Traianos Dellas, Sotiris Kyrgiakos, Vassilis Torosidis; Costas Katsouranis, Angelos Basinas, Christos Patsatzoglou; Angelos Haristeas, Nikos Liberopoulos (Fanis Gekas 61), Yannis Amanatidis (Stelios Giannakopoulos 79)

Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy)