Costa Rica [Bryan Ruiz 52* + 5 (Penalty) ] : [ Greece (Sokratiz 90* + 1 ) + 3 ( Penalty )] Played At Arena Pernambuco, Recife Brazil
Brave Costa Ricans playing with ten men for 53 minutes knocked out Greeks in the penalty shootout and moved into quarter final in a nerve breaking match at Recife Brazil. Bryan Ruiz scored for them in the 52nd minute and Sockratiz equalized in the first minute of extra time.
Costa Rican Goal Keeper Navas was the hero of the day making several spectacular saves in the match also saved the fourth penalty of Geka while his mates converted all five. The score in shoot out was 5 -3. Greece 5th Costa Rica will now play Netherlands in the quarterfinal.
Melbourne is city which is the home to the largest Greek community than only Athens. The match created great enthusiasm in Australia among the Greek Communities. With Australia returned home from Brazil empty handed many assembled at Federation Sqaure in the very early morning on a cold and wet Monday. Greek shop owner in the super market of our suburb supplied us free bread and curry powder. We could not give him much encouragement in return as we thought Costa Rica will punish their defensive oriented football. But back in Arena Pernambuco, Recife Brazil climate and state of the match was far from entertaining. Both sides opted for safety first.
Costa Rica could take the lead. But soon they were reduced to 10 men when Oscar Durrate got marching order with second yellow card. Brave Ricans could keep Greeks at bay till the last but a minute when Sokratis equalized.
Ricans fought bravely all through the 30 minuites extra time. The match entered nerve breaking penalty shootout .After 3 strikes each team deadlocks continued. Michael Umana scored of the fifth. Costa Rica knocked out Greece. The fairy tale continued. For the first time in its soccer history they are now in the group of eight elites.
*Costa Rica shocked the football world by topping a formidable group consists of three former World Cup champions: England, Italy and Uruguay. It was time for coach Jorge Luis Pinto and his guys to prove their awesome performance in the group stages was a not flash in the pan. For Costa Rica, the victory catapulted them to the quarterfinals for the first time in country's history.
*Greece advanced to the knockout stages for the first time after converting a controversial penalty in the last minute of the do-or-die match with Ivory Coast. With history in the books, the Greeks were looking to set the bar higher as they set their sight on a possible quarterfinal stint on Sunday.
Football world did not at all foresee the teams like Costa Rica and Greece go deep into Brazil World Cup 2014.Costa Rica was considered a rank outsider in the group of death Group D having three World Champions of the past having sharing the top honor from the 6 of the 19 World Cups played so far. They shocked and awed with giant killing performance knocking out England and Italy from the group and topped the group on sheer merit.
Greece was also not taken seriously for their ultra-defensive strategy. Yet they qualified behind group leader Colombia and set a date with the giant killers. Both of the teams were in the elite group of 16 for the first time in their soccer history.
Lot was expected when two of the tournament's surprise packages in Costa Rica and Greece met in the crucial knock out match. The experts predicted for it either a cagey encounter or one seizing the initiative and winning. There were long odds on Costa Rica and Greece meeting in the World Cup's Round of 16 when the tournament kicked off, but both of these footballing minnows have exceeded the odds to progress into the knockout stage. Costa Rica remarkably counterattacked their way to the top of a group containing Uruguay, Italy and England, while Greece squeezed through thanks to a last-gasp penalty victory over Ivory Coast. Heading in, its Costa Rica looked in better shape, but anyone who witnessed Greece's remarkable showing at the European Championships a decade ago could not write them off. On that occasion, they ground their way to their first-ever major tournament crown, and have since been the masters of organized, defensive football. Penalty was not required.
The teams do not possess stars and super stars but have several fringe players. The strengths of these sides lie in counter-attacking and taking advantage of any space their opponents leave in behind. Both these sides largely played a brand of deep, counterattacking football in the group. It was expected one side adapts to seize the initiative in this game. However, if someone tried to deviate from their usual plan and take control, we could see an entertaining match. But neither side did that and first half remained mainly mid filed limited dull, drab and dreary.
Coastal Rica looked better composed in early stage but as Greek dropped deep as they did all along Costa Rica could little to break that. Greeks showed some ambition towards the end of the first half creating few half chances.
Compared with several attacking matches of the tournament, teams played a tactical first half. Both of sides defended well but neither possessed a quality striker to seize the opportunity for breaking the dead lock. At the end of first 45 minutes score sheet showed 0-0. We knew that all seven in Greece international matches came through a single goal margin. Navas saved Gekas fourth.
Teams changed gears after second half .Costa Rica broke the stalement early into the second half through Bryan Ruiz in the 52 nd minute 1-0. Totally against the run of play, Ball across the face of the Greek area, Bryan Ruiz latched onto the ball and looked to be trying to hit it at the goalie's right hand corner. Totally miscued it and the keeper is simply rooted to the spot as it dribbles, pathetically slowly, along the ground into the far left hand corner. He also sored the solitary goal against Italy in the same ground which sent Italy home. Costa Rica was disadvantaged in the 67 th minute when Oscar Durate got marching order getting a second yellow card in the match. In such a contest in the heat and humidity it was a tough ask for a team to match an opponent with a man handicap.
Greece tried its best to seize the opportunity raiding Costa Rican defence with series of attacks . Match started getting more and more physical. Samaras and Gekas made few probing runs deep into rival defence but just hesitated to deliver the last strike before getting dispossessed. Costa Rica defence soaked all Greek attacks with strong resolve. Greece got a free kick in a business area in the 79 th minute was struck wide over the cross piece. With 10 minutes remaining Costa Rica bravely held on to its solitary goal lead with 10 men.
Costa Rica only once in the past lost a World Cup Match after taking a lead against Poland in 2-1 defeat.Grece kept desperately chasing as time ticked by. Greece got another chance for equalizer when Costaduolopolos made a great run but Navas came to the rescue for his team. The Greeks stuck yet another ball into the box. It' was flicked on by Gekas, the keeper palms it, Gekas has a shot. parried again!
And there was big Sokratis! The centre back drilled the ball straight at the goal, the keeper's floundering and he cannot get there. Costa Rica failed to hold on to the lead for a few minutes of the injury time. It became 1-1. The match entered extra time.
It was again the never say die story of the Greeks. They never die before death. Getting the much sought after equalizer in the injury time presented the Greeks wonderful opportunity of winning with a player advantage in the extra time. First time in the world cup these two teams were involved in extra time. In such a keenly contested match in hot condition it is next to impossible to keep opponents at bay with a man handicap. Greeks kept on coming in numbers with more and more joining in attacks. Layers after layers waves of attack kept pouring. Costa Rica survived the first half of the extra time.
111 minutes of the match excellent Greece corner - Greece broke in numbers. It was five on two! Lazaros hits the shot straight at the keeper 112 minutes: A golden chance came the way of the depleted Costa Rican troops. Campbell just failed to deliver the final push from a vintage position.
115 th minutes: The hero Navas plucks a Samaras cross out of the air. Five minutes left. The Ricans dead on their feet but maybe the great courage they have shown to hold out will stand them in good stead if this does go to penalties.
Brave Ricans managed to keep the Greeks coming in numbers at bay. Now the penalty shoot gamble –the second of the world cup so far.
Summing up the day we can only say Croatian win was natural justice after their bravery for 23+30 = 53 minutes with a man handicap. Costa Rica will now play Netherland in the Quarter final.
Costa Rica (4-4-1-1): Keylor Navas; Giancarlo Gonzalez, Michael Umana, Oscar Duarte, Christian Gamboa; Christian Bolanos, Junior Diaz, Yeltsin Tejeda, Celso Borges; Ruiz; Joe Campbell.
Greece (, 4-3-3) – Orestis Karnezis; Vasilis Torosidis, Sokratis, Kostas Manolas, Jose Holebas; Giannis Maniatis, Giorgos Karagounis (C), Dimitrios Salpingidis; Lazaros Christodoupoulos, Andreas Samaris, Geeorgios Samaras (Gekas.)
BDST: 0739 HRS, June 30, 2014
