Within minutes Chelsea's new right back Paulo Ferreira handed possession to Greece midfielder Georgios Karagounis and watched him stride forward to score from 20 yards.
It was a setback from which Portugal could not recover and, though they enjoyed plenty of possession, their response was limited.
They emerged for the second period with self- destruction still high on their agenda. When Porto midfielder Costinha passed straight to Georgios Seitaridis in the 56th minute, Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo chased back to drag the Greece full back down in the penalty area. Angelis Basinas dispatched the penalty and the game was over.
From then on Portugal chased salvation dutifully and with the help of Deco - on as a substitute - may have salvaged more than Ronaldo's late consolation had they been more selective with their passing in the final third.
Scolari's team is talented but simply must play with more conviction against Russia.
As for Greece, they hailed the result as their best ever and it was easy to feel pleased for them. Even if this tournament badly needs Portugal to stay in it, it also needs days that belong to the underdog.
Their German coach, Otto Rehhagel, said: 'This is a victory for the Greek people. It is the greatest day ever in the history of the nation's football.'
While Scolari was preaching common sense, his players, rather worryingly, were making excuses. Figo claimed his team deserved to win, which was absolute rubbish, while Ronaldo claimed Seitaridis had dived to win the penalty.
Coming from a master of that particularly dark art, his claim was rich indeed.
