A dubious
late penalty has seen Greece advance to the Round of 16 for the first time in
history with a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast. Colombia join them in the knock-out
phase after their 3-1 win against Japan.
Deutsche Welle, 25 June 2014
Surprise
results and late drama continued on Tuesday as Greece emerged victorious
against Ivory Coast in Fortaleza. The Elephants looked destined to reach their
first-ever World Cup Round of 16, but Greece were awarded a controversial
penalty that turned the game on its head.
Things got
off to a very grim start for Greece after injures forced Panagiotis Kone and
later goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis off in the first half.
Defensively
minded Hellas scored their first goal of the tournament minutes before
halftime. Chiek Tiote's mistake in midfield led to a break that was expertly
finished off by early substitute Andreas Samaris.
The second
half belonged almost entirely to Ivory Coast. After threatening for nearly half
an hour, Wilfried Bony equalized in the 74th minute. The Elephants' star man of
the evening, Gervinho, played provider with a smart ball from the left side of
the box.
The goal
looked like it had sealed Ivory Coast's spot in the knock-out phase until
Georgios Samaras went down in the box in extra time. Greece were awarded a
penalty, but the replay showed Samaras had actually tripped himself. The lucky
forward converted the penalty, sending Greece into the Round of 16 for the
first time in their history.
Colombia
seal top spot
Colombia have become outside favorites after a dominant group stage display |
Advancing
out of Group C along with Greece are Colombia, who sealed a 100 percent record
in the opening phase of the competition with a 4-1 win over Japan.
Juan
Cuadrado got the Colombians on the board just 17 minutes into the match after
firing home a penalty.
Shinji
Okazaki's snap header just before the break gave the Japanese a lifeline, but
their hopes were dashed in the second half.
A pair of
goals by Jackson Martinez and one by Colombia's star performer of the
tournament, James Rodriguez, saw the South Americans capture the first place in
their group.
Colombia
will now face Uruguay on June 28 in the Round of 16. Group runners-up Greece,
meanwhile, will take on World Cup surprise-side Costa Rica one day later.
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