It took the exit of the defending champions to put Spain through at the European Championship on today.
David Villa scored in the second minute of injury time to give Spain a 2-1 win over Sweden at Innsbruck that, along with Greece's 1-0 loss to Russia in Salzburg, ensured the 1964 champions topped Group D and advanced to the quarterfinals.
Villa scored his fourth goal of the tournament - and 18th in 33 matches for Spain - when a long clearance from left back Joan Capdevila eluded Sweden defender Petter Hansson, allowing the striker to angle his shot past goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson, who hit the turf with his fist in frustration.
"I'm prouder of this goal than I was of the three that I scored the other day," Villa said of his hat trick against Russia on Tuesday. "It's good for me to be able to be there and bring three points for Spain."
Fernando Torres had given Spain a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute, reaching at full stretch with his right foot to steer David Silva's cross beyond Isaksson and bring coach Luis Aragones out of his dugout and pumping his fists in celebration at Tivoli Neu stadium.
That looked a little premature when Zlatan Ibrahimovic equalized for Sweden. The striker managed to get goal side of defender Sergio Ramos to collect a cross from Fredrik Stoor, before pivoting to beat his marker and sliding a low shot under the gloves of goalkeeper Iker Casillas in the 34th.
Sweden sat back in the second half, denying Spain's attacking trio of Villa, Torres and Cesc Fabregas any space, and looked to have sealed a draw that its obdurate defense just about deserved until Villa's late, dramatic intervention.
It was the first time since Euro 2000 that Sweden had lost a group game at a major football tournament, getting a win and two draws at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and at Euro 2004.
Spain's victory wasn't enough to secure a place in the final eight, however. That required the Euro 2004 champions to lose - and the Greeks duly obliged.
Greece became the fourth defending champion to be knocked out in the first round of the European Championship. Germany was eliminated at the same stage at the 1984 and 2000 tournaments, while Denmark went out in the first round in 1996 after its stunning run to the title four years earlier.
Having lost 2-0 to Sweden in its opening match, Greece needed goals at Wals-Siezenheim stadium. Coach Otto Rehhagel ditched his five-man defense to opt for a 4-3-3 formation, playing Nikos Lymberopoulos and Angelos Charisteas up front, with Giorgos Karagounis coming on in the 40th.
But just like the second goal the Greeks conceded against Sweden - an ugly scramble across the line by Hansson despite two opponents on him - Russia took advantage of a glaring defensive error.
Sergei Semak acrobatically hooked an errant cross from Diniyar Bilyaletdinov back into the middle of the box and over Antonis Nikopolidis after the goalkeeper had rushed off his line, allowing Konstantin Zyryanov to side-foot the ball into an unguarded net in the 34th.
"Back in 2004, a miracle happened, but that happens maybe every 30 years," Rehhagel said. "Otherwise, if it happened every week, it wouldn't be a miracle."
Also, Zurich police said Saturday that about 84 people were treated for injuries and there were eight arrests after Italy's 1-1 draw with Romania the day before. One man was knocked into the Limmat River and another was found unconscious with head injuries shortly before midnight, police said.
Meanwhile Vienna is opening an extra fan zone for Monday's match between co-hosts Austria and Germany, expected to draw tens of thousands to the city's public viewing areas. Gerhard Hanappi Stadium, which can fit up to 40,000 people, will have the game broadcast live on three video screens.