Rock-solid defenders who constantly chase, tackle and bully their opponents have been the key to Greece tactics ever since they became European champions in 2004. Ryan Jensen Jersey . A decade ago, that team conceded a miserly four goals at Euro 2004 and its successor only conceded four in qualifying to secure its place at the 2014 World Cup as Greece stayed true to its reputation for hard work and ruthless discipline at the back. That all changed when the squad arrived in Brazil. The teams much-vaunted defence was torn apart in a 3-0 defeat by Colombia, whose display of speed and style sometimes left the Greeks standing around like statues. Greece now faces Japan in Natal on Thursday in a game that could very well put either team out of contention. Japan lost to Ivory Coast 2-1 in its opener, meaning neither team can really afford another defeat if they hope to advance out of Group C. Japan advanced to the round of 16 four years ago but lost to Paraguay on penalties. Greece has bowed out in the group stage in its previous two World Cups. For Greece, the need to rebuild its solid back line will be all the more important at a World Cup that is so far seeing crowd-pleasing flair in attack and plenty of goals: 44 in the first 14 games. Colombia scored in the fifth minute, forcing Greece out of its comfort zone right from the start and attacking with speed on the flanks. Greek frustration was reflected in two of its players drawing yellow cards in the second half. "That wasnt what people expected," Greece forward Andreas Samaris said. "I know what everyone expected of Greece though: that we would have 11 men behind the ball, defend, defend, defend and give everything to keep a clean sheet. "We went out to win against Colombia, and that philosophy will not change. We just hope it brings a better result for us because Japan is now a must, must-win game for us." Like Colombia, Japan is likely to attack at speed through the Europe-based trio of Shinji Kagawa, Yuto Nagatomo and Keisuke Honda. Against Ivory Coast, Japan had the better of the first half but ultimately struggled as the game got more physical in the second half. The arrival of the Ivorians star striker Didier Drogba as a second-half substitute also raised his teams performance and there was only a muted response from the Japanese. AC Milan midfielder Honda said that the team was determined to bounce back against Greece. "Nobody feels good about losing and obviously it was a shock," Honda, who opened the scoring with a powerful first-half strike, was quoted as saying. "But its not a shock that we lost, the thing that shocks me is we lost because we could not play to our strengths. "We gave our opponents front line too much respect. Mentally we were weak but that is not a problem that cant be fixed. A little bit more spirit can turn things around ... of course we still have an opportunity to get through the group phase." Jordan Whitehead Jersey . This week, they discuss the NCAAs revenue sharing, Don Zimmer, soccer language and Super Bowl 50. M.J. Stewart Jersey .Those stars, most notably the top line of James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel, struggled against the Montreal Canadiens and must be better as the Leafs look ahead to facing the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers this weekend. http://www.buccaneersfootballpro.com/Buccaneers-Ronald-Jones-II-Jersey/ .com) - Real Madrid claimed its 20th consecutive win across all competitions by cruising to a 4-1 victory at Almeria on Friday.OAKLAND, Calif. -- The taxing preseason, which included two games in China, is finally over. Whether the Golden State Warriors are ready to live up to lofty expectations remains unclear. Damian Lillard scored 21 points, LaMarcus Aldridge added 16 points and 12 rebounds, and the Portland Trail Blazers rallied to beat the Warriors 90-74 Thursday night in the preseason finale for both teams. "There are certain teams with different mentalities and agendas going into the preseason. Some teams, we were there once, its important to win ball games," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "For some teams its important to stay healthy. Some teams you just want to establish a rhythm. I think the two latter ones were us. The danger is you cant believe you can turn it on when you want to." The Warriors will carry that message into the regular-season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. Golden State led by 11 early in the third quarter before the Blazers scored 22 straight points. The Warriors missed 17 shots in a row and were held scoreless for more than 8 minutes during Portlands run. Stephen Curry had 17 points and six assists, and Klay Thompson scored 16 points for the Warriors, who blew a double-digit lead for the second straight game. Golden State lost 91-90 at Sacramento on Wednesday night after leading by 17 points in the third quarter. "Thats going to be our Achilles heel. When were not making shots, how do we defend? Whats our personality going to be?" said new addition Andre Iguodala, who had nine points, four rebounds and two assists. The Warriors ended the preseason 3-4, including wins against the Lakers in Beijing and Shanghai. Portland won its final five games to finish the preseason 5-2. "Just as we ignored the predictions last year that we werent going to make the playoffs," forward David Lee said, "were not going to let the positive outlook change the way we work." Jackson said he feels satisfied with the way the preseason ended because the Warriors emerged "relatively healthy." The third-year coach still never really got the chance to experiment with lineups in the exhibitions like he had hoped. Small forward Harrison Barnes missed the last foour games with left foot inflammation. Alex Cappa Buccaneers Jersey. His status for the regular-season opener is murky. Lee also sat out Thursday after undergoing dental work on his two front teeth, which were loosed by an inadvertent elbow from Jason Thompson in the loss at Sacramento. Lee is not expected to miss any time. Adding to the