Everybody wins but Spain

My brother-in-law and I forewent our customary Sunday fishing expedition in favor of paying twenty dollars each to watch Greece play Russia in the third and final game of the first round in the Eurocup Tournament at one of the Irish pubs in Cambridge. The place was packed, on account of the fact that there was not just one but two matches going on simultaneously - the one we had come to see and the showdown between Spain and Portugal that would determine everyone's fate in Group A, save for Russia, who was already eliminated from the Quarterfinals going into Sunday's game. Unfortunately for Greece, the Russians were playing for honor alone, and ended up besting the Hellenes 2-1 in a well-played match. The goal that Greece did manage to score proved crucial, however: by losing to Portgual 0-1, Spain ended up in a tie with Greece for second place in the group; and as the tiebreaker rules first go to who won in the head-to-head match (no one, it was a draw between Spain and Greece), then who has the greatest difference between total goals scored and total goals allowed (neither team - they were equal, thanks to Greece's only goal scored gainst Russia), it came down to which team scored the most goals overall. And, miracle of miracles, that team was Greece!

So I'd say about 75% of the pub went home happy that day. The Portguese had beat Spain for the first time in an international competition and taken the first spot in Group A in the process, the Russians got their win for honor's sake, and the Greeks got to squeak their way into the Quarterfinals - where they're almost sure to be squashed by the French on Friday (but what the heck! It's been a hell of a run!). Only the Spaniards left with heavy hearts, but seeing that Spain is usually the winning party in football showdowns, I don't think anyone felt particularly sorry for this this time around...