THE DAY REPLAYED - Last points before opening time. There were a total of twelve points up for grabs today from the four matches in Groups B and D of the Men's Olympic Football Tournament. With the women taking a day off, the men of Iraq and Paraguay each claimed three precious points from a pair of breathtaking games that ignited these Games even before the famous flame has been lit in Athens' Olympic cauldron. Such drama before the official opening might almost be considered improper.

The day in pictures  

After yesterday's thrills, Patras was treated to another suspense-filled clashed again today. The Group D curtain-raiser saw Iraq take on Portugal in a tumultuous atmosphere. The Iraqis delighted their clutch of noisy supporters, whose exuberance never abated throughout the whole game, by recording a convincing 4-2 win over the Europeans, much to the amazement of the on-lookers, including the FIFA President. Portugal had their chances but they hit the woodwork twice and were reduced to ten men when Boa Morte received the first red card of the competition. The result was just reward for the skill of the Iraqis, for whom Emad Mohammed was outstanding. The star of Qatari club Al Itihad not only drew his team level with a fine goal, but then went on to create another two in a thrilling display.

If the action was wild in Patras, the fans in Thessaloniki were treated to similar drama as Paraguay and Japan went toe-to-toe for the full ninety-minutes in an exciting Group B clash. The South Americans eventually emerged triumphant from a fierce ding-dong battle (4-3), leaving the Japanese pointless from a game in which they performed with great vigour and won two penalties. The outcome was a fair one though, as the Paraguayans had lorded it over the Asians for long periods of the game. No doubt full of confidence after eliminating Brazil in the qualifiers, Paraguay were impeccably orchestrated by two players in their thirties - Carlos Gamarra and José Cardozo. The Toluca attacker in particular was in sparkling form and bagged a brace of goals in addition to dictating the pace of events and marshalling his younger team-mates like a true general. The goal of the game, though, came from one of Cardozo's team-mates: after seeing a thunderous drive turned over the bar by goalkeeper Hitoshi Sogahata, Aureliano Torres re-aligned his sights moments later and this time fired the ball beyond the 'keeper's dive and into the net.

The reason Japan and Paraguay fought so hard for maximum points was surely because they knew their next two games, against Italy and Ghana, threaten to be even tougher. Over in Volos, it seemed for a while that the Africans were about to take a giant step towards the quarter-finals as they scorched into a two goal lead. Stephen Appiah was in swashbuckling form for Ghana and capped an inspirational performance by hitting a wonderful second just before the interval. Ghana seemed to have things under control, but Italy clearly re-discovered their "grinta" during the break and were a totally different proposition in the second half. Whatever Claudio Gentile said to his players in the dressing room obviously worked, because they rose in stature as the Black Meteors began to fade. The young azzurri duly struck two goals of their own to level the score at 2-2, giving the sides a share of the spoils. Paraguay's next two ties promise to be exciting indeed. Japan, meanwhile, face a real uphill struggle.

As three of this evening's matches swayed one way then the other, only the game in Heraklion failed to set the pulse racing. Costa Rica and Morocco may not be amongst the favourites in Group D, but they are still capable of producing a better spectacle than the one they offered in Crete tonight. The Moroccans were elegant and technically adept, notably Farid Talhaoui and Bouchaouib El Moubarki, but they could not muster the wherewithal to clinch maximum points. Costa Rica, for their part, were content to play a long-ball game, even after their opponents had been reduced to ten men following the straight dismissal of Jamal Alioui. One cause for hope for the Central Americans was the performance of Eric Scott, but he and his team-mates will have to be on top form to get anything from their matches against Portugal and Iraq. But as tonight's other matches showed, when the beautiful game comes to the Olympic Games, anything is possible.