Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/337883
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 29 JUNE 2014 51 TWO of the tournament's Cin- derella teams are vying for the last eight. They offer contrasting styles but have both made a speciality out of upsetting bigger teams Recife, Brazil (dpa) - No matter what happens in the round of 16 tie in Recife on Sunday, World Cup his- tory will be made as either Greece or Costa Rica will reach the quar- ter-finals of the tournament for the first time ever. The match between two of the most surprising successes of the competition will offer a stark con- trast between two diametrically opposed theories about how sup- posedly weaker teams can advance at the expense of more respected rivals. The Ticos came out on top of their Group of Death by beating Uruguay and Italy and holding toothless England to a draw. Coached by Jorge Luis Pinto, Costa Rica have found success not by employing the usual tactic of the underdog, massing men in defence and hitting back on the counter at- tack. Rather the team plays an aggres- sive attacking game relying on for- wards Joel Campbell, Bryan Ruiz and Cristian Bolanos to find the back of the net. Though the team is regarded by some as a favourite in the crucial game, Costa Rica is not getting car- ried away. "We were the Cinderella and now we are favourites. That's respect and we earned it," Costa Rica de- fender Michael Umana said. "We will keep the same tactics we have been using. We would not touch that. What we are determined to do is win the game just like we did against Uruguay and Italy," added fellow defender Cristian Gamboa. Greece meanwhile will follow the resolute path that has brought them success so far. They will also look back to 2004 when they pulled off one of the most unexpected achievements in football history by winning the European Champion- ship. That glory was achieved with a dogged defence and potent counter attacks and the current side, which includes two veterans of that cam- paign, Giorgios Karagounis and Kostas Katsouranis, will follow the same textbook. "Our tactics have been the same in all the games: To stay tight in de- fense to contain the opponents and stay dangerous in attack," Greece coach Fernando Santos said. "The mistaken perception is to think that every team should play like Bra- zil or Barcelona, but they have the characteristics to play that way. ... But we are Greece." Fans in both countries are deliri- ous with expectation of progress- ing further than ever before. Greek football officials were so certain that the team would fail early in the campaign that Santos' contract will run out the day after the game. No doubt he will stay on if his team pulls off another victory, which could be dubbed a surprise even though Greece is ranked high- er than Costa Rica on FIFA's list of national teams: 12th compared to 28. "We have to pay a lot of attention to this game, they came out top in the Group of Death," said Santos. "As a result we cannot allow our- selves to underestimate them." At the same time Greece realizes that coming up against Costa Rica rather than some of the stronger teams still in the competition presents an incredible opportunity. "At this stage, everyone is con- sidered an opponent who is better than us," Greece midfielder Lazaros Christodoulopoulos said. "Sure, I would choose Costa Rica over some other teams," he added, "but what Costa Rica have done is a miracle." COSTA RICA v GREECE Arena PernambucoRecife (BRA) - Time: 22:00 Costa Rica and Greece vie for historic quarter final spot Georgios Samaras (L) of Greece celebrates with teammates after scoring the winning goal by penalty during their World Cup Group C match against the Ivory Coast. Photo by EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO Costa Rica supporters celebrate in San Jose, Costa Rica. Photo by EPA/Jeffrey Arguedas