Greece moves on to the next round of the World Cup as they dramatically defeated Ivory Coast 2
1 at Estadio Castelao in Fortaleza Tuesday, finishing next to Colombia in Group C.
Greece took the lead on the first half of the match when Andreas Samaris nets a goal with a right-footed shot through an assist by Georgios Samaras on the 42nd minute mark.
Nevertheless, Ivory Coast manages to equalize the match on the 74th minute mark when
Wilfried Bony strikes with a rightfooted shot which was assisted by Gervinho.
The match between Ivory Coast and Greece seems to be concluded with another tied goal as
both teams were stuck with 1 1. However, a penalty kick awarded to Greece changed the fate of
the two teams as Georgios Samaras scores a rightfooted shot on the 90th minute mark, leading Greece 2 1 and securing the team a slot on the next round of the tournament.
Ivory Coast's last match also marked the end of Sabri Lamouchi's role as the team's coach. He
tells BBC Sports: "My contract comes to an end at this World Cup and there will be no epilogue. It
is logical as we did not do well at last year's Africa Cup of Nations or at the World Cup finals.
He further adds: "The Ivory Coast is a great football nation. And this was a cruel game. After so
much hard work and so much sacrifice, all of us and everyone in the Ivory Coast is very sad."
Meanwhile, Greece coach Fernando Santos celebrates the team's victory: "We found balance
tonight. We are not the worst team when we lose or the best when we win.
"To everyone in Greece I say, 'Go out into the street and celebrate," he tells BBC Sports.
Both Ivory Coast and Japan, which are under Group C, are now eliminated from the tournament.
Greece will face Group D leader Costa Rica at Arena Pernambuco in Recife on June 29, Sunday.
