ATHENS, Aug 12: Hosts Greece salvaged their pride after a bad start to their Olympics with a controversial 2-2 draw against 10-man South Korea in the men's soccer tournament on Wednesday.

Greece's determined fight back from two goals down brought relief to the nation after the women's side were humbled 3-0 by a Mia Hamm-inspired United States hours earlier.

The soccer tournaments were the first competitive action of the Athens Olympics, although the Games proper begin on Friday.

In Thessaloniki, striker Dimitris Papadopoulos - one of the heroes of Greece's stunning Euro 2004 triumph - drilled home the equaliser from the spot in the 82nd minute after Choi Won-kwon was harshly adjudged to have fouled Nikolaos Mitrou.

Greece's hopes of emulating their shock European Championship success looked to have suffered a killer blow when a freak own goal from defender Loukas Vyntra gave South Korea a 2-0 lead in the 65th minute. But Greece hit back in the 78th minute through substitute Ioannis Taralidis, who finished with a clinical left-foot volley from 16 metres. "It was like I was playing football for the first time," Taralidis said after Greece's great escape.

"I haven't experienced an atmosphere like that before. It was a once in a lifetime feeling." South Korea have brought four players from the squad that reached the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup to Greece.

Their experience showed after defender Kim Chi-gon was harshly sent off in the 31st minute for a challenge on Papadopoulos - the only member of the Greek Euro 2004 side playing in the Olympics.

Kim Dong-jin stunned a capacity crowd of 28,000 at Kaftanzoglio stadium in the 43rd minute, lashing home a fierce left-foot shot from an acute angle. Meanwhile, Mexico were held to a goalless draw by Mali in the other Group A match.

The men's tournament is an under-23 competition with three over-age players allowed per team. In Patras, playmaker Carlos Tevez scored twice and new Manchester United signing Gabriel Heinze was also on target as favourites Argentina thrashed Serbia and Montenegro 6-0.

The South Americans have not won an Olympic gold medal in any sport since the 1952 Helsinki Games. Also in Group C, Australia drew 1-1 with Tunisia in Heraklio, Crete.

In the women's tournament, Hamm scored her 152nd goal in 261 games for the U.S. in a comfortable 3-0 victory over Greece in Crete. Meanwhile, captain Birgit Prinz scored four goals as world champions Germany underlined their credentials by crushing China 8-0.

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