WROCLAW, Poland — Another bad start for Greece at Euro 2012, and this time there was no way back.
Four days after trailing to a 17th minute goal against Poland and then battling back to draw 1-1, the Greeks fell 2-0 behind after just six minutes against the Czech Republic on Tuesday.
This time, it ended with a 2-1 defeat that brought the 2004 champions to the brink of elimination from the tournament. It was clearly a major blow for a team that had arrived at the tournament in Poland and Ukraine with just one defeat in 21 games under coach Fernando Santos.
"We didn't exist on the pitch for the first 10 minutes," said Santos, who has complained that players forget to follow his tactical instructions.