TUESDAY, JULY 1, 2014

FAN FERVOR Costa Rica stun Greece in penalty shoot-out

RECIFE: Costa Rica goalkeeper claimed man-of-the match honors as his side sank Greece in a penalty shootout to reach the World Cup quarter finals for the first time and a clash with the Netherlands. Reduced to 10 men in the second half, Costa Rica still seemed to be on course for an upset vic- tory until Sokratis Papastathopoulos scored an injury-time equaliser to force extra time. Navas, who had blocked a string of shots in the game, was equally impressive in the two 15-minute periods of extra time before he pulled off a superb one-hand- ed save to deny Theofanis Gekas’s spot kick during the penalty shoot-out. Costa Rica went on to secure a 5-3 victory to keep the central Americans’ World Cup dream alive. “To everyone back home and out on the streets - this is for you,” said Costa Rica’s manager . “The people love football and they deserve this. We’re ambitious, we want to grow and develop and God willing we will go on in this tournament.” Captain scored in the 52nd minute to give the central Americans a 1-0 lead at . But defender Oscar Duarte was ordered off for a second bookable offence shortly after and Greece poured forward looking for an equaliser. They provided the late drama when Papastathopoulos pounced on the rebound from RECIFE: Costa Rica’s goalkeeper Keylor Navas blocks a shot by Greece’s (right) during Gekas’s strike in the first minute of added-on time the World Cup round of 16 soccer match at the Arena Pernambuco. — AP to slam it past Navas. ance in the last eight on what is only their fourth appeared blocked by Papastathopoulos. But it was the only shot the Costa Rica goal- finals appearance when Michael Umana stepped Urgency was injected into the pace of the game keeper missed all night and he was overwhelming- up to beat Karnezis from the spot. immediately, but after Kostas Mitroglou replaced ly voted man of the match. “He’s an extraordinary “Words can’t describe how we feel,” said Umana. fellow striker Andreas Samaris, the Greeks were ‘keeper and I think he’s shown he’s one of the best “When I went up to take my penalty it was very given a boost when Duarte was given a second at the World Cup,” said Pinto. Those thoughts were quiet but I knew I was going to score.” yellow card for a wild lunge on Jose Cholevas. shared by Greece coach Fernando Santos: “The The Costa Ricans claimed another European Santos made a series of changes late in the goalkeeper made the difference for them. He scalp with the win, having beaten Italy 1-0 and game and the arrival of Gekas for Salpingidis denied us right at the end of extra time, then again drawn with England 0-0 in Group D. would prove crucial. In the first minute of injury in the shoot-out. Despite a bright start by Costa Rica Greece time Gekas pounced on a loose ball in the area and “If it wasn’t for him the result would have been should have scored on 37 minutes when Dimitrios when Navas blocked his shot on the turn different story.” Greece spurned several chances to Salpingidis ghosted in at the back post to connect Papastathopoulos slammed home the rebound win the game in extra time against the tiring Costa with a cross that had been whipped in from the home to send the Greeks wild. Navas had to look Ricans. Those misses proved costly for Fernando left, only for Navas to turn the ball to safety for a smart two minutes later when Mitroglou’s glancing Santos’s men in the penalty shoot-out. corner. Greece’s positive end to the half was in header forced him into a spectacular one-handed With Costa Rica leading 4-3 after stark contrast to a terrible start to the second. An save before the whistle blew to signal extra-time. rolled the ball past Orestis Karnezis, Gekas saw his innocuous-looking attack launched by Campbell The leveller stunned an already tiring Costa Rica, chance to pull the Greeks level pushed away by on the left saw Bolanos set up Ruiz to sidefoot a who did well to survive a Greek onslaught in extra Navas. Costa Rica secured their first ever appear- low shot past the static Karnezis, whose view time. — AFP Preview Argentina look to peak against Swiss

SAO PAULO: ’s goals have fired Argentina into the World Cup last 16 but they will look for a better all-round performance when they meet Switzerland today. The diminutive four-time player of the year has finally sparked for his country, hitting four of their six goals as Argentina qualified top of Group F. But Argentina needed Messi’s late winner to overcome Iran 1-0 and they also shipped two goals before beating Nigeria 3-2, lowering expec- tations of a third world title. They will face their toughest opponents yet in Switzerland, who put seven goals past group opponents Ecuador, France and Honduras, includ- ing three from Xherdan Shaqiri. “Now we can’t make any mistakes as any error will see us getting knocked out,” Messi warned after Argentina negotiated the group stage. “There is nothing more beautiful than to be world champion, to achieve that with my country.” In Argentina’s favour is that more than 100,000 of their fans are expected to flood Sao Paulo ahead of Tuesday’s game, including many inside Corinthians Arena. But they will have to cope with the loss of Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero, who is out with a muscle injury after going off in the first half against Nigeria. SAO PAULO: Argentina’s Lionel Messi (right) and other teammates applaud during a training session at Both Messi and coach Alejandro Sabella Itaquerao Stadium. Today Argentina faces Switzerland in its second-round match of the 2014 soccer acknowledge that Argentina are a work in World Cup. — AP progress but they will now hope to raise the heat on their slow-burning campaign. “We’ve got nine points, but we can always get better,” Sabella said. Former Bayern Munich coach seek to Ottmar Hitzfeld will relish the clash against one of the pre-tournament favourites in what he says will be his last hurrah before retirement. bring in new blood Despite their 5-2 hammering by France, Switzerland have twice bettered Latin American RIO DE JANEIRO: After Uruguay are given their cus- are in their 30s. “It should not cause any trauma, but opposition already after their 2-1 and 3-0 wins tomary heroes’ welcome home from the World Cup this squad needs a generational renewal,” Forlan over Ecuador and Honduras respectively. on Sunday, they will face tough decisions about told Uruguayan radio station El Espectador. Their attack will be spearheaded by one of the how to overhaul the team and make up for the loss “I think that change is coming because an era is revelations of the tournament, 22-year-old Shaqiri, of banned striker Luis Suarez. ending, but the football goes on and a new one will who hit all three goals against Honduras to secure Tough-tackling Uruguay beat England and Italy begin.” There are also questions about the future of Switzerland’s qualification. in the group stages of the tournament in Brazil, con- coach Oscar Tabarez, who at 67 was the oldest man- The winger, the first Swiss player to score multi- tributing to the early elimination of the two ager at this year’s World Cup and its longest-serving ple goals in a World Cup match since 1954, has hit European giants. But after Suarez was sent home in one, having been in charge of the team since March the headlines after making just 10 league starts disgrace to start a nine-match ban for biting an 2006. He also coached Uruguay between 1988 and for Bayern Munich this season. opponent, they looked short of firepower in attack 1990. He master-minded Uruguay’s surprise run to Switzerland have never beaten Argentina in six and lost their first knock-out match against the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup and their vic- attempts. And they know all about Messi, who Colombia 2-0 on Saturday. The second-round exit is tory at the South American Copa America in 2011. struck his first international hat-trick in their 3-1 a contrast with Uruguay’s march to the semi-finals of Tabarez’s contract ran until the end of the tour- friendly win in Bern in February 2012. the competition in 2010. But the team are sure to be nament. He told reporters on Saturday that he had “We’ll prepare ourselves to face Messi, as well cheered home by their fans who feel aggrieved by not received an offer yet to carry on in charge of the as their other players, but of course he has the the hefty punishment imposed on Suarez which will team although he said he was ready to stay on. quality to decide games,” said goalkeeper Diego probably keep him out of the team for competitive Tabarez made no apologies for sticking to his Benaglio. matches until 2016. Behind the heat of the Suarez physical, defensive style. “We are sure, even if some “It will be relatively hard to shut him out, but protests, big question marks hang over the future of people don’t agree, that Uruguay has to play this he’s not the only dangerous player in a very good Uruguay which has long punched above its weight way on the international stage, really focusing on team. “Argentina don’t revolve just around Messi in international football for a country of little more limiting the opposition,” he said. “I think the people in even though he’s their superstar. But we know all than 3 million people. Uruguay understand that and that’s why there is so about the skills he has and it helps that we’ve seen Saturday marked the last World Cup appearance much feeling between the players and the support- a lot of him.” of striker Diego Forlan who could not repeat the ers.” But critics of Tabarez say the team should be less Hitzfeld’s attacking options have been reduced form that made him the player of the World Cup in defensive-minded and there have been calls for Juan by a cruciate knee ligament injury suffered in 2010. Captain Diego Lugano has also made his last Verzeri, a former coach of Uruguay’s youth teams, to training by forward Mario Gavranovic, an unused bow at the competition and other squad members get the job of bringing in young blood. — Reuters substitute in all three group games. — AFP