FORTALEZA, Brazil – Talk about close.
Greece is through to the last 16 at the World Cup by the slimmest of imaginable margins: Thrashed by Colombia 3-0 in the opener, holding Japan 0-0 with 10 men, and only scoring in its final game.
Georgios Samaras' injury time penalty on Tuesday provided the 2-1 win needed to eliminate Ivory Coast in Group C.
After disappointing in their first two matches, the Greeks came alive against Didier Drogba's favored Africans. Their reshuffled lineup produced a string of scoring chances — hitting the woodwork three times and narrowly missing twice with striker Dimitris Salpingidis.
The secret to Greece's success, Samaras said, was that team members played unselfishly.
