Greece 2-1 Ivory Coast: Five talking points

With the World Cup group stage drawing to a close, it was the turn of Greece and Ivory Coast to face 90-plus minutes of nail-biting football before discovering their fate.Playing in tandem with the Colombia-Japan match, Fernando Santos charges knew the pressure was on them to grab a win nothing else would do, otherwise theyd be dumped out whereas, Sabri Lamouchis Ivory Coast simply had to draw in order to go through. It couldnt have been more finely poised and boy, was it an entertaining duel.But in the end, it was Greece who emerged victorious on the night, securing a dramatic last-minute victory against all the odds.Here are some of the major talking points from the match.

#1 Greece earn historic last-16 appearance

In a match that started quite slowly and without much energy, it didn’t look as though either side had the stomach or the stamina to fight tooth and nail for the result they needed.

A number of refereeing stoppages took the sting out of the contest in the opening exchanges as the battle sputtered to a slow start.

In particular, Greece’s no.1 shot-stopper, Orestis Karnezis had to withdraw due to injury after receiving lengthy treatment due to an apparent back injury, and with that there was little room for either side to build the momentum they needed.

But it was Greece who struck first through the boot of Andreas Samaris after he was played through by the talismanic Georgios Samaras on the counter. Coming late in the first half, it gave the team on top the reward they richly deserved.

From there, the onus was placed firmly on Ivory Coast to fight back, but it was Santos’ men who deserved the win and it was they who looked the most lively – Jose Holebas’ ferocious shot that pinged off the crossbar early on, a prime example of the threat they carried in front of goal.

The never-say-die attitude of an industrious Greek team was encapsulated perfectly by Samaras’ late, late spot-kick to secure a historic win,

#2 Steely defence gives Greeks great platform

Although it was their offence that eventually won them the game, their defence repelled a number of Ivorian attacks and provided them with the necessary safety to push on for the three points.

Kostas Manolas and Sokratis Papasthopoulos were true rocks at the heart of their defence as they dove in with some last-minute, well-timed challenges to keep a hungry opposition at bay.

Stepping up to the challenge of getting out of the group stage for the first time, having conceded three goals against a highly-fancied Colombian outfit days earlier, they really played out of their skin to keep the Ivory Coast quiet.

Fully deserving of their historic achievement, they completely outdid themselves, despite letting one goal slip through.

Another stand-out performer for them was replacement ‘keeper Panagiotis Glikos who threw himself into proceedings with courage and adjusted seamlessly to the tie.

#3 The football delight continues with yet another dramatic match

The gloriously dramatic atmosphere that has attached itself to the majority of World Cup matches so far is showing no sign of abating.

Once more, football fans worldwide were served up yet another treat as two sides gave their all on the biggest stage of them all in front of thousands of adoring fans.

Greece were undeniably deserving of the win, make no mistake, but Lamouchi’s charges showed no signs of giving in, thus adding to the overall excitement and intrigue of the contest as the fight waged on.

And when Gervinho played Swansea star Wilfried Bony in for the equalising goal in the second half, it looked as though they might just have enough to come from behind, like they did against Japan in their opening match, but it never really materialised.

No doubt, the to-and-fro flow of the match will surely have left spectators glued to their screens; something that’s been a feature of many a match thus far, and no doubt, it’s certain to be one of the lasting legacies of Brazil’s World Cup.

#4 Greece unfazed by pressure

When Georgios Samaras was awarded his dubious 93rd minute penalty, there can’t have been many fans in the Estadio Castelao who would’ve held much faith in him sticking it away.

Having not scored at all during the qualifying phase, the towering Celtic striker was perhaps not the best candidate to stick home a penalty in the dying embers of such a hugely important match.

But, huge credit must surely go to the 29-year-old forward for the courage he displayed in rolling the ball confidently home past the despairing dive of Boubacar Barry.

And to be fair, it’s not as if the killer punch hadn’t been coming as Greece had come close a number of times - Dimitrios Salpingidis’ cross from the right in the 87^th minute that flew through a pile of bodies in the box nearly causing Serge Aurier to turn into his own net, a prime example of their continued pressure in the lead up to the goal.

Having nerves as strong as that might well be the key for them to push even further past the second round – but for now they can bask in the glory of their tremendous feat.

#5 Lack of finishing touch lets Lamouchi\'s men down

Unfortunately for their lively and vibrant fans, the Ivorian players on the pitch just couldn’t deliver the performance they needed.

And while some might say they were cruelly robbed by a harsh penalty, it’s quite hard to argue against why the man in charge choose to award it.

In truth, though, it wasn’t an officiating decision that undid them, rather it was their own inaccurate finishing time and again that really let them down.

With household names galore on the pitch, it’s amazing they never really gelled effectively on the night.

In fact, it took super-sub Bony to get them firing and pick up the pieces that Drogba and others simply couldn’t put together. Repeatedly, they failed to really test the ‘keeper and they rarely looked good enough to find a way through the excellent Greek defensive cover.

No doubt, they possessed the players, but on the night the players simply didn’t possess the all-important clinical touch.