NATAL, Brazil -- 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. Clay Matthews III 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." B.J. Goodson Jersey .J. Fair didnt have many chances to be the main option for Syracuse last season. Allen Lazard Jersey ., climbed from seventh to fifth spot in womens competition Sunday at the ISU world junior figure skating championships. http://www.custompackersjersey.com/custom-donald-driver-jersey-large-692r.html . Gonzalez participated in his final game on Sunday, Atlantas 21-20 defeat at the hands of the NFC South champion Carolina Panthers, having posted four catches for 46 yards.The playoff schedule has been released for the mens Olympic hockey tournament, and it has Canada next taking to the ice on Wednesday at Noon et/9am pt. The Canadians will contest that quarterfinal match against the winner of the Switzerland-Latvia match up, set for Tuesday at Noon et/9am pt. Canada finished the preliminary round ranked third overall, behind Sweden and the U.S., who were first and second, respectively. All three teams advance directly to the quarteer-final round of the tournament. Jimmy Graham Jersey. Sweden will face the winner of the Slovenia-Austria game, while the winner of the Czech Republic-Slovakia game will advance to play the Americans. Finland finished second in Group B to Canada, but were the top-seeded non-division winner and gained a berth directly into the quarters. They will face the winner of the qualification match between the host Russians, and Norway. ' ' '