Costa Rica Win Shoot-Out Over Greece

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Costa Rica and Greece are two of the more surprising teams to reach the knock-out round in the World Cup.  Today the two face each other looking to advance to the quarter-finals.  Both teams play with an emphasis on defense and quality scoring chances were rare.  The first-half ended with neither side pulling ahead.

Captain Bryan Ruiz scored for Costa Rica early in the second-half to take the lead.  Finding space in front of goal, Ruiz directed a rather weak shot to the far-post.  The ball was placed just far enough to avoid the hands of keeper Keylor Navas (52').

Greece are used to playing from behind and a missed tackle by Óscar Duarte left Costa Rica with ten men.  Duarte received a yellow card in the first-half for a foul and saw another in the second-half when he missed a tackle on José Cholevas (R.C. 66').

Playing with one more man than Costa Rica allowed Greece to push numbers forward and found the equalizer in the time added to regulation.  Substitute Theofanis Gekas got a shot on goal that was blocked by keeper Navas.  Sokratis Papastathopoulos was in the right place and knocked the rebound into the net (90 +1').

The match went to extra-time and for Greece it was more of the same.  Despite playing almost entirely in Costa Rica's half, neither team could score the winning goal.  For the second time in the round of 16 a penalty shootout was required to determine the winner.

Costa Rica shot first and scored the first four shots from the spot.  Greece matched Costa Rica for their first three shots, but keeper Navas made a big save to deny the fourth shot by Gekas.  Costa Rica could then end the shootout with a successful shot by the fifth shooter.  That task fell to defender Michael Umaña and he finished from the spot to win the match.

More than once Greece scored late to keep their dreams alive, but it will be Costa Rica who advance and play the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.