Let us rejoice for Greece is gone!

At least let's hope that's the case. The reigning European champions have been knocked out of the tournament by Russia. Thank God for that.

The football they played was unbelievably dull. Similar to watching paint dry. Boring. All the pre-tournament hype that surrounded them and their brilliant record in qualifying was dispelled immediately after their first game against Sweden. Their lack of cutting edge up front was a key factor in their style of play. If you're not going to score many, you have to shore up the defence. Their top scorer in qualifying, Theofanis Gekas, was ineffective against the Swedes and Otto Rehhagel had to find an alternative. Unfortunately, Angelos Charisteas was not the answer. The hero's from 4 years ago wasted all the chances that came his way, the most telling being a headed attempt that went straight to Igor Akinfeev. Rehhagel described Greece's win in 2004 as a miracle and their performances in this edition certainly showed us why. Although their performance against Russia was a marked improvement on their first game, they still were not good enough to get a result, showing just how far the gap between them and Europe's elite really is.

Russia on the other hand, managed to find the form that had led them to qualifying in the first place. After their lucky goal, they were dominant for the rest of the half, breaking up the Greek defense at will. Roman Pavlyuchenko put in an impressive all round performance but failed to score, wasting two great chances in both halves. Russia should have won by more than a solitary goal, and that may come back to haunt them in their final game against Sweden. Due to their better goal difference, the Swedes only need a draw whereas the Russians must beat the Swedes. However, credit must be given where it is due and based on last night's performance, they certainly have it in them to beat the Swedes. Another plus for them is that they will be able to call upon their star player, Andrei Arshavin, who has now served his two match ban and is available again. He's had a fantastic season, culminating in lifting the UEFA Cup with Zenit St. Petursburg, and could prove to be the spark Russia need to win.

Spain's last gasp win over Sweden proved another thing. They have grit. They will keep fighting till the end to secure a result. This is another reason why Spain may yet defy tradition and live up to their tag as favourites. Although their play wasn't as fluid as in the demolition of Russia, they kept going and were rewarded when David Villa finished Joan Capdevila's pass in stoppage time, confirming Spain's progress as group winners. The injury sustained by Carles Puyol was the only negative on a good night for the Spaniards. While that may not be much of a worry for them now, they will be hoping he will be available for the quarterfinals. While I'm still wary of Spain's uncanny ability to exit tournaments prematurely, this side certainly looks the part, Villa's form being a key reason for their favourites tag. As much of a star he has become, Fernando Torres has been a great strike partner for him as they both complement each other and understand how they play. Joan Capdevila's runs from left back has also been one of Spain's positive points, highlighted by his part in Spain's first game against Russia and his assist for Villa to score Spain's winner against Sweden. They could go all the way. Everyone's been saying it. Everyone is also wary of them slipping up when it matters most.

Meanwhile, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has finally seemed to get his critics of his back. Often accused of not shining in the big games, his first half cameo against Spain was one of his better performances. His first touch was sublime and his goal was just reward for his play. He had to be taken off after the first half so as not to aggravate his knee injury and had he been on the pitch for the entire game, we may have been labelling Spain as chokers rather than favourites. At any rate, he showed us what a world class player he is. Certainly I don't think he's overrated. His performances may be below par at times but you can't keep a player as talented as him silent forever. Sweden only require a draw in their final group game against Russia and I believe they will do it. I like both teams, but unfortunately, only one will go through. Russia have Arshavin and Sweden have Ibrahimovic. And Ibrahimovic is better.