On Tuesday evening in the 2014 World Cup, the teams from Group C that qualified for the quarter-finals were revealed. The teams that clashed were Japan - Colombia and Greece - Ivory Coast. One of the most interesting battles took place between the African and European national teams. In a dramatic match, the Greeks extended their victory in extra time, securing a spot in the next stage. The match started evenly. Both teams did not press each other, and the game dominated in the middle of the field, but the Greek players did not intend to play defensive football in the decisive match. The most dangerous opportunity was created in the 33rd minute, when Jose Cholevas sent the ball into the crossbar from about 18 meters. At the end of the first half, the Greeks managed to score the first goal in the championship. After a mistake by an Ivory Coast player, Andreas Samaris, who came on as a substitute, made his mark. In the first half, the Greek team had to make two mandatory substitutions. Defender Panagiotis Kone and goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis left the field. In the second half, the Africans pressed the Greek players and did not give them any room to breathe. In the next 45 minutes, the Greeks had opportunities to score, but in the 74th minute, Wilfried Bony equalized the score. The Greeks needed to score a winning goal, otherwise their opponents would proceed to the quarter-finals. At the end of regular time, it seemed inevitable that Ivory Coast would advance to the next stage, but in extra time, a penalty was awarded to the African team. The doubtful penalty was converted by Georgios Samaras, who became a hero for the national team. In other matches, the Colombian national team had no trouble with Japan, who still had a chance to advance to the next stage. The South American team defeated the Japanese 4-1. The goals for the winners were scored by Juan Cuadrado, James Rodriguez, and Jackson Martinez, who scored twice. Shinji Okazaki equalized the score for the Asians at the end of the first half. Colombia, after winning all three matches in Group C, will face Uruguay in the quarter-finals, while Greece, who finished second in the group, will face the winners of Group D, Costa Rica. Results: Greece 2 - 1 Ivory Coast 42' [1 - 0] A. Samaris 74' [1 - 1] W. Bony 90' [2 - 1] G. Samaras (penalty) Japan 1 - 4 Colombia 17' [0 - 1] J. Cuadrado (penalty) 45' [1 - 1] S. Okazaki 55' [1 - 2] J. Martinez 82' [1 - 3] J. Martinez 90' [1 - 4] J. Rodriguez Starting lineups: Colombia: Ospina (c), Arias, Armero, Cuadrado, Guarin, Mejia, Balanta, Ramos, Quintero, Martinez, Valdes. Japan: Kawashima, Uchida, Honda, Nagatomo, Okazaki, Kagawa, Okubo, Aoyama, Konno, Hasebe (C), Yoshida. Ivory Coast: Barry, Boka, Kolo Toure, Kalou, Tiote, Gervinho, Drogba, Aurier, Yaya Toure, Serey, Bamba. Greece: Karnezis, Maniatis, Manolas, Samaras, Kone, Karagounis (c), Salpingidis, Torosidis, Lazaros, Sokratis, Cholevas. Group C standings table: 1. Colombia - 9 points, +7 goal difference 2. Greece - 4 points, -2 goal difference 3. Ivory Coast - 3 points, -1 goal difference 4. Japan - 1 point, -4 goal difference
