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- Costa Rica v Greece: World Cup 2014 live!
- Kevin-Prince Boateng slams Ghanas World Cup preparations as amateurish
- Brazil struggle to recover from emotional shootout win over Chile
- Manchester United were offered Colombias James Rodríguez for £5m
- Mexico rage at referee over Arjen Robbens invented penalty
- World Cup 2014: the brilliance of Mexico's Miguel Herrera in pictures
- Holland come from behind to snatch last-gasp victory against Mexico
- Mikel John Obi insists Nigeria cash row is over as they focus on France
- Klaas-Jan Huntelaar penalty eases pain of Hollands permanent understudy
- Louis van Gaals tactical genius moving Arjen Robben to the right won the day
- World Cup diary: Brazil-Chile breaks tweet record set by Super Bowl
- Colombias James Rodríguez seeks top honours and sends warning to Brazil
- France win back the affection of public after their 2010 strike shambles
- Cameroon and Ghana launch inquiries after dismal World Cup eliminations
- Holland v Mexico: World Cup 2014 as it happened!
- Júlio Césars heroics mask truth that Brazil were lucky to get through
- First official World Cup cooling break taken in Holland v Mexico match
- Switzerlands Xherdan Shaqiri aims to hit heights against Argentina
- Greece give crisis-weary nation hope and pride on World Cup stage
- World Cup 2014: Holland v Mexico in pictures
- World Cup Show 2014: day 19 previews video
- World Cup 2014: Holland and Mexico fans prepare for last-16 clash video
- World Cup 2014: day 18 as it happened
- Fifa investigating claims Brazil official punched Chile player in row
| Costa Rica v Greece: World Cup 2014 live! Posted: 29 Jun 2014 03:08 PM PDT
93 min: Christodoulopoulos thunders onto a loose ball on the edge of the box and just can't resist lashing a shot at goal even though he knows it's bouncing awkwardly in front of him. The ball, predictably, disappears into the terraces behind the goal.
91 min: Torosidis curls in a cross so dangerous it likes its meals served with fava beans and a nice chianti. Umana just gets a toe to the ball ahead of Mitroglou.
Peep! Off we go once more.
All match I've been trying to shoe-horn linesman Matt Cream into an entry. Extra-time is tiring for officials too is he whipped? No, you're right it wasn't worth it. I'm not sure about the officials but the Costa Ricans do look exhausted. All the momentum is in Greece's favour.
"This was my reaction," writes Tim Yorath:
Peep! PEEEEP!! PEEEEEEEEP!!! That's it! Or, more accurately, that's not it! Extra-time to come.
90+5 min: Karagounis belts into Campbell and gives away a daft free-kick.
90+4 min: And Navas is now down getting treatment.
90+3 min: What a save! Mitroglou flicks a header goalwards. Navas leaps to tip the ball over the bar!
90+2 min: Umana almost slices a kneed clearance over Navas. There's only one winner at this moment in time.
But Greece only need one! Gekas's effort on the turn is saved by Navas, but he can only paw the ball out to the centre half who powers the ball home for his first international goal. Heartbreak for Costa Rica.
90 min: We'll have a minimum of FIVE minutes of injury time.
89 min: Cholevas gets on the end of Samaras's flick on, but can't pull the ball back from the touchline.
87 min: Christodoulopoulos does superbly down the right, beating Diaz and then fizzing a low cross into the six-yard box. Navas can't grab it first time, but nor can Mitroglou trap it and the ball bounces back into the keeper's hands.
86 min: Lovely stuff from Ruiz. He calmly swerves away from a couple of tackles and heads for the corner flag. Karagounis bundles into him and concedes a free-kick that'll munch up a few more valuable seconds.
85 min: Another Greece corner sparks a bit of panic in the box, but Costa Rica have the chance to break. Acosta, though, can only wang his attempted cross-field ball back into Greek possession.
83 min: Brenes replaces Bolanos.
83 min: A stunning ball from Torosidis puts Gekas in behind the Costa Rica back four, but he can't quite tame the ball and it dribbles away for a goal kick.
82 min: lofted in by Cholevas, nodded over by Manolas. Tick-tock, tick-tock
81 min: Samaras turns away from a couple of challenges and picks up yet another free-kick. He was the most fouled player in the group stages, by the way, and he's picked up a few more tonight. Anyway, dangerous free-kick
79 min: Karagounis hammers a free-kick five, perhaps 10, yards over the bar.
77 min: And Katsouranis is on for Maniatis.
76 min: Gamboa, being shoved and nudged off by Greece players irked by his gentle amble to the touchline, is eventually off. Acosta comes on.
75 min: Cholevas again gets down the left and fizzes in a cross. It takes a bobble and a deflection, so Gekas isn't ready for the ball to find him at knee height. It trickles out for a goal kick. Costa Rica are wobbling.
74 min: Bolanos dinks in the free-kick. Manolas heads away. And Campbell is penalised for what seemed to be a non-existent handball.
72 min: Manolas flies through Campbell and is the latest name to go into the book. It's getting very feisty out there.
71 min: Navas flaps at a cross and his defenders have to bail him out. Replays show three Greece forwards offside.
70 min: Ruiz nods the ball away before a Greece free-kick. Williams, who is increasingly struggling to keep a lid on things, flashes the yellow card.
68 min: Salpingidis goes off. Theo Gekas is on.
67 min: Cholevas whips in the free-kick, Samaras glances a header wide. What a chance Greece now have to get back into it. "Greece having to attack is a bit like asking Monty Python to be serious for a bit," writes Justin Kavanagh.
66 min: Oscar Duarte picks up a second booking and is off. Cholevas charges past him and is upended by the centre half. He's off!
65 min: Cubero replaces Tejera.
63 min: And, the world is telling me, that was what Granados was complaining about to pick up his booking.
62 min: Fernando Santos isn't a happy man. His arguing over a throw-in draws the attention of the fourth official. He shouldn't be too annoyed with the officials just after the goal Torosidis missed a header and the ball dropped onto his hand. Other officials might have given Costa Rica a penalty.
60 min: "Greece's small thermal exhaust port is known as the Achilles Vent," honks Niall Mullen.
59 min: Manolas punts a long ball from the back straight out for a Costa Rican goal kick. The response to the goal doesn't bode well for Greece fans.
57 min: On comes Kostas Mitroglou, with Samaris heading off.
56 min: "Karnezis was in carbon freeze," writes Dan Nooter of the Costa Rica goal. It was a strange one he didn't move, but he had time to learn to knit, write a novella and bake a batch of muffins before the ball trickled over the line. The reaction suggests that Ruiz mis-hit the shot and was aiming for the other corner.
55 min: Trouble here. Costa Rica substitute goalkeeper Oscar Granados is booked for reasons as yet unclear.
53 min: That came out of nowhere. Now what have Greece got?
Campbell finds Bolanos. Bolanos rolls the ball across the edge of the box. And Ruiz curls his shot low into the corner! The Costa Rican X-wing has fired a proton torpedo into Greece's small thermal exhaust port.
51 min: Uncle Sepp's mug appears on the big screen. Cue boos from the crowd.
50 min: but it comes to nothing.
49 min: The full-backs are proving Greece's best attacking outlet. Cholevas in particular is causing a few problems and he's won a corner for his team here
47 min: Tejeda goes into the book for a thunking challenge on Karagounis.
46 min: Cholevas dinks in another tasty cross, this time from a free-kick. Samaras leaps highest but his header is straight at Navas.
Peep! According to the official Fifa statistics there were 25 "dangerous attacks" in that first half. I'm dubious about their definition of "dangerous". And of "attacks" for that matter. But still, off we go again with hope in our hearts and a song on our lips.
So, it's not been great. The Greece Death Shed is standing firm and they've actually posed more of a goal threat than Costa Rica. Fernando Santos will be the happier manager at the break.
PEEEEEP!! That's that. And there are quite a few boos and whistles from the terraces as the players trudge off.
45+1 min: The busiest man on the pitch thus far has been the linesman running the Costa Rican defensive line. He's at risk of RSI. Greece are caught offside yet again the sixth time this half.
45 min: Two minutes of added time to play.
43 min: Karagounis chips in, Navas claims it.
42 min: Duarte pulls down Christodoulopoulos on the edge of the box, picking up a booking for his trouble. Decent chance for Greece this
41 min: Ruiz drops a little deeper to pick up the ball and orchestrate an attack. His team-mates aren't helping him hold the ball, though.
39 min: "It's not only MBMers that have to deal with difficult names," writes Ray Wells. "Spare a thought for the man who calls out the names on University Challenge (they even had to use a smaller type for the guy top left)."
37 min: What a save! Cholevas swings in a ball so delicious it should come served with a side salad. Salpingidis is charging in at the back post and makes a sweet contact six yards out, but Navas sticks out a leg and turns the ball aside. Brilliant stuff from the keeper.
35 min: Campbell is chopped down in midfield by Andreas Samaris. The midfielder becomes the first name in the referee's Big Book Of Bad Men.
33 min: Costa Rica's three central defenders have a minute or two of passing practice between themselves. If you were contemplating the most likely outcome at this stage, extra-time and penalties would be a fairly strong contender.
31 min: Campbell swings a corner. Karnezis, under no pressure, plucks the ball from the air.
29 min: Cholevas rumbles forward and dinks in a fine cross that somehow evades Samaras in the box. And as the ball comes back in Samaras is caught offside for the umpteenth time.
28 min: It's a nightmare moment for MBMers worldwide as Papastathopoulos finds Christodoulopoulos with a long ball. The ball is worked across the box and Karagounis sends in a bouncing-bomb of a shot that Navas deals with without fuss.
26 min: Campbell almost spins away from Papastathopoulos, but the Greece defender is strong enough to hold him off.
25 min: Another corner, this time a Greek one after Torosidis's diagonal pass is cut out by Gonzalez. Karagounis pings it in. Headed clear.
24 min: Loose control. Tackle. Loose control. Tackle. Loose control. Tackle
22 min: softly lobbed in by Bolanos. Borges, thundering in, can't quite make contact.
21 min: taken short and worked back to Joel Campbell. He outfoxes the 112-year-old Karagounis, who brings him down right on the edge of the box. Dangerous free-kick
20 min: A backheel from Ruiz finds Gamboa, but Maniatis has tracked the run. The cross is blocked but it's a Costa Rica corner
19 min: Campbell forces the ball through to Ruiz on the left, but the Fulham man's ball across is a hopeful one. Manolas, I think, is there to mop up.
17 min: Things haven't really caught fire yet in Recife. "Surely Polish names such as Jakub Blaszczykowski are harder to type?" writes Andrew Goudie. "'McManaman' would be my favourite to type were it not for the intercapping.'Pele' is OK." I've always found Jaaskelainen my favourite name to type. Somehow it just works. Jaaskelainen. Jaaskelainen. Jaaskelainen. Lovely.
15 min: Karagounis swings the corner in, Papastathopoulos gets his noggin to it first but under pressure he can't make a clean contact.
14 min: Samaras chests down beautifully for his team-mate who wears the No16. He wins a corner
12 min: Typo-in-waiting Christodoulopoulos cuts inside from the left, but drags his shot wide. As good as anything Greece have mustered thus far really.
11 min: Greece get their collective foot on the ball for the first time since the opening seconds. Torosidis finds Samaras, but the Celtic man is a millimetre offside.
9 min: "Greece is like the Millwall of international football. No one likes, but we don't care," writes Alex Sakalis. "Let's go Hellas."
7 min: Chance for Bolanos! Campbell skitters through midfield, tumbles, but the ball runs for Ruiz, who feeds the Copenhagen midfielder. He thrashes a shot over from the left edge of the box. Los Ticos have made the better start here.
5 min: Another dangerous break from Costa Rica, but Campbell and Ruiz muddle things up and a Greek boot comes in to break things up.
4 min: Great noise from the pocket of Greece fans behind their goal. "Hellas! Hellas!" is the chant. But they're given a scare here the right wing-back Cristian Gamboa storms forward into the box, but drags his shot wide.
3 min: "With the Greek lineup, It brings to mind a question I've had for a while," begins Dave Hill. "Do you have a list of Greek names on a separate sheet that you cut and paste, or are you an incredibly fast typist?" Neither I'm afraid. I might just have to call players "The Greece No19" or similar.
2 min: Karagounis beats the wall but not the first defender in the box. It drops out to Christodoulopoulos, who smashes the ball over the bar from distance.
1 min: Torosidis romps forward, as is his wont. He finds Samaras inside, and Greece have an early free-kick
Peep! Off we go then. Greece are all in blue, Los Ticos in all white.
An email: "Greetings from a Canadian reader in a rather desolate Montevideo, Uruguay, where there's hardly a soul in the streets," writes Michael Ireton. "Granted, it's a Sunday in what passes for the dead of winter here, but I can't help but feel that yesterday's game and the whole sordid Suarez business have something to do with the municipal mood today. "Anyway, for the Fulham supporter like me, today's match seems like a veritable intra-squad training session at Motspur Park. The ageless wonder Giorgios Karagounis was a bit of a cult hero at Craven Cottage in 2012-13...only to be let go at the end of the season...only to rejoin the cub for 2013-14...only to be released again. Then there's Kostas Mitroglou--Fulham's record signing who managed to appear in three matches this year.
Click-clack, click-clack the teams emerge from the tunnel, the ball is plucked from its plinth and the thousands in Recife stand for the national anthems.
Tonight's referee is Benjamin Williams of Australia. His assistants are Hakan Anaz and Matt Cream, who has romped to the Linesman Who Mosts Sounds Like A Tin Of Paint award. They're the first set of Australian officials to referee in the World Cup knockout stages, so there's a little slice of history made.
Costa Rica (3-4-2-1): Navas; Duarte, Gonzalez, Umana; Gamboa, Tejeda, Borges, Diaz; Ruiz, Bolanos; Campbell. Greece (4-3-2-1): Karnezis; Torosidis, Manolas, Papastathopoulos, Cholevas; Maniatis, Samaris, Karagounis; Salpingidis, Christodoulopoulos; Samaras.
What a World Cup then, eh? Record numbers of goals, incredible late drama, thrilling attacking football and at least half a dozen strikes that will feature in future World Cup Best Of DVDs. the knockout matches wouldn't compete with the group stage we thought. Then Brazil v Chile went to penalties, James Rodriguez did that against Uruguay, and Holland smashed and grabbed in the dying seconds against Mexico. There's just so much to enjoy, so much to reinvigorate your love of the game. And that's all well and good. But we need a Bad Guy. No great stories have ever featured solely heroes. Superman needed Lex Luther, Holmes needed Moriarty, John McClane needed Hans Gruber. And this World Cup needs Greece. Greece are like the Death Star. If the Death Star were a shed. The Death Shed if you will. Dull, functional, terrifying.  |
| Kevin-Prince Boateng slams Ghanas World Cup preparations as amateurish Posted: 29 Jun 2014 03:05 PM PDT Schalke midfielder sent home early from Black Stars squad Boateng: We were not a real team. It was pure disaster Continue reading...  |
| Brazil struggle to recover from emotional shootout win over Chile Posted: 29 Jun 2014 02:30 PM PDT Julio César achieves redemption with penalty saves Neymar injured but set to be fit for Colombia quarter-final Continue reading...  |
| Manchester United were offered Colombias James Rodríguez for £5m Posted: 29 Jun 2014 02:29 PM PDT Attacker touted to Old Trafford but Bebé signed instead Agents drew blank despite his billing as a world beater James Rodríguez, the Colombia playmaker whose breathtaking form at the World Cup has seen him lauded as one of the players of the tournament and has thrust his national team into a first ever quarter-final, was offered to Manchester United for around £5m as a teenager, only for United to pursue other options. The forward, now an established performer at Monaco whom he joined from Porto for £38.5m last summer, scored twice to eliminate Uruguay at the Maracanã on Saturday and swell his goal tally to five in four matches before a meeting with the hosts, Brazil, in Fortaleza in the last eight on Friday. Continue reading... |
| Mexico rage at referee over Arjen Robbens invented penalty Posted: 29 Jun 2014 01:58 PM PDT Manager Herrera says it was forwards third dive for Holland Today a bad refereeing decision knocked us out Continue reading...  |
| World Cup 2014: the brilliance of Mexico's Miguel Herrera in pictures Posted: 29 Jun 2014 01:57 PM PDT The Mexico coach Miguel Herrera has been one of the stars of the tournament, with his antics on the touchline making him a firm favourite with neutral fans. Here are our favourite pictures of the man Mexicans call Piojo Continue reading...  |
| Holland come from behind to snatch last-gasp victory against Mexico Posted: 29 Jun 2014 01:54 PM PDT In pictures: Holland v Mexico gallery This World Cup gets more dramatic by the day. Two goals in the last six minutes, one of them a penalty in the dying moments, sent Holland through to the quarter-finals. Wesley Sneijder and the substitute Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored them, but no one had been as significant as Arjen Robben, and he it was who sprinted towards the end of the stadium and leapt in the air, clenching his fists at the full-time whistle. It was a run he had made over and over; he had done most to drag the Dutch back into the World Cup. Louis van Gaal explained how Holland had switched between formations as they chased the game but, whatever the shape, Robben stood at the heart of it. He was at the heart of the games decisive and controversial moment, too. The Mexico manager, Miguel Herrera, described the penalty that finally won this match as invented. Continue reading... |
| Mikel John Obi insists Nigeria cash row is over as they focus on France Posted: 29 Jun 2014 01:40 PM PDT The Super Eagles are concentrating on beating France for a place in the quarter-finals after President Goodluck Jonathan helped resolve their $3.4m bonus concerns with bank notes Continue reading...  |
| Klaas-Jan Huntelaar penalty eases pain of Hollands permanent understudy Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:58 PM PDT Stoppage-time penalty to win last-16 match against Mexico is just reward for years of frustration at major events Continue reading...  |
| Louis van Gaals tactical genius moving Arjen Robben to the right won the day Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:45 PM PDT After both Holland and Mexico started with a three-man defence the Dutch coach changed to a back four creating width on both flanks which he was able to successfully exploit Continue reading...  |
| World Cup diary: Brazil-Chile breaks tweet record set by Super Bowl Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:19 PM PDT Neymar gained a few grey hairs in win over Chile while crossing on Brazil-Colombia border will be closed on Friday The Brazil versus Chile match broke the tweeting record for an event that was held by this years Super Bowl. The tense game, extra time and penalty shootout generated 16.4m tweets, according to Twitter. When Gonzalo Jara cracked the final penalty against the post, the microblog chatter peaked at 389,000 tweets per minute 7,000 more than at the height of the Superbowl. With the World Cup still only at the last-16 stage, this record looks certain to be broken again and again, especially if the hosts continue to progress in the month-long tournament. Continue reading... |
| Colombias James Rodríguez seeks top honours and sends warning to Brazil Posted: 29 Jun 2014 12:00 PM PDT Uruguay coach compares striker of wonder goal to Luis Suárez Rodríguez tells quarter-finals rivals: Well be dangerous Continue reading...  |
| France win back the affection of public after their 2010 strike shambles Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:57 AM PDT Hugo Lloris says the French side intend to build on momentum We want to make everyone proud of the national team Continue reading...  |
| Cameroon and Ghana launch inquiries after dismal World Cup eliminations Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:10 AM PDT Ministers sacked and players criticised after teams' campaigns were beset by disciplinary problems and disputes over payments Continue reading...  |
| Holland v Mexico: World Cup 2014 as it happened! Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:01 AM PDT Holland snatched victory after late goals from Wesley Sneijder and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
 |
| Júlio Césars heroics mask truth that Brazil were lucky to get through Posted: 29 Jun 2014 10:23 AM PDT With the impressive Colombians to face the hosts in the quarter-finals, coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is trying to steady his sides nerves but has failed to lead by example Had the crowd at Belo Horizontes Estádio Mineirão, or the 40,000 people who crammed on to Copacabana Beach to watch the game, been a bit less shell-shocked they would have noticed a very peculiar moment beamed on to the giant screens. While waiting for the beginning of the penalty shootout that would decide Brazils fate at their home World Cup, the QPR goalkeeper Júlio César began to cry. He would credit the emotional outburst to his team-mates doing the rounds for quick pep talks but the fact was that his mind had travelled in time: four years ago in South Africa Júlio César had been singled out as one of the culprits for Brazils quarter-final defeat to Holland. Continue reading... |
| First official World Cup cooling break taken in Holland v Mexico match Posted: 29 Jun 2014 10:15 AM PDT Referee implements new rule due to temperatures of 39C Players given three-minute break during first half in Fortaleza Continue reading...  |
| Switzerlands Xherdan Shaqiri aims to hit heights against Argentina Posted: 29 Jun 2014 09:43 AM PDT 22-year-old Alpine Messi is key to reaching quarter-final Ottmar Hitzfelds men looking for first ever win over Argentina Switzerlands Alpine Messi, Xherdan Shaqiri, hot from a hat-trick against Honduras in his last game, meets the real Lionel Messi in the last 16. Shaqiri is the same height as the Argentinian and has a similarly low centre of gravity and, while he has some way to go to match the feats of the prolific Barcelona star, the 22-year-old gives Switzerland a threat up front. Continue reading... |
| Greece give crisis-weary nation hope and pride on World Cup stage Posted: 29 Jun 2014 09:36 AM PDT Greeks have had little to cheer about under austerity but now their team face Costa Rica for a World Cup quarter-final place Continue reading...  |
| World Cup 2014: Holland v Mexico in pictures Posted: 29 Jun 2014 09:11 AM PDT It's 35 degrees at pitchside in the Estádio Castelão at Fortaleza, where Holland and Mexico meet in the last 16 of the World Cup. Here are the best pictures from the match Continue reading...  |
| World Cup Show 2014: day 19 previews video Posted: 29 Jun 2014 09:00 AM PDT Nat Coombs is joined by Mike Carlson to preview Monday's last-16 matches: France v Nigeria and Germany v Algeria. Mike picks out some key battles involving opposing goalkeepers Manuel Neuer and Rais M'bolhi, utility man Philipp Lahm, France's top scorer Karim Benzema, their manager Didier Deschamps and Nigeria's two-goal hero vs Argentina, Ahmed Musa. And contrary to widespread opinion, Mike doesn't see this as an easy ride for the European sides over their African opponents. Check out the Guardian Football YouTube channel at: www.youtube.com/guardianfootball Continue reading...  |
| World Cup 2014: Holland and Mexico fans prepare for last-16 clash video Posted: 29 Jun 2014 08:58 AM PDT Dutch and Mexican fans were talking up the chances of their sides ahead of Sunday's knockout match in Fortaleza. With temperatures expected to top 30C, many Mexican fans predict the heat will be too much for Louis van Gaal's team. But the Dutch are sure stars Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie will work in concert to send Mexico packing Continue reading...  |
| World Cup 2014: day 18 as it happened Posted: 29 Jun 2014 08:54 AM PDT |
| Fifa investigating claims Brazil official punched Chile player in row Posted: 29 Jun 2014 08:02 AM PDT Incident involved Mauricio Pinilla and Brazil spokesman Rodrigo Paiva admits shove but says he acted in self defence Fifa is investigating a bust-up at the World Cup after claims the Chile striker Mauricio Pinilla was punched by Brazils communications director Rodrigo Paiva at half-time during Saturdays match. Paiva, a well-known figure in Brazilian football, has admitted to shoving Pinilla but said that he did so only in self-defence. Fifas disciplinary committee is believed to have access to video footage and pictures of the incident in Belo Horizonte. Continue reading... |
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