Brazil 2014: Greece, Japan Play Draw to Keep Second Round Hope
Group C’s bottom-place teams, Greece and Japan, clashed on Thursday night in a 0-0 result that guarantees Colombia a move to the knockout rounds.
Reduced to 10 men after captain Costas Katsouranis was sent off in the 38th minute with his second booking, Greece held on for a critical result in the group by returning to the rock-solid defence that Colombia had torn apart for three goals in an opening loss.
“My players were brilliant,” said Greece coach Fernando Santos. “They worked hard after the red card. Without the red card we probably would have won the game.”
Both teams inserted new strikers in search of goals and a first victory, but ultimately the main objective was survival and both achieved that with one match left in group play. Each team would have been eliminated with a loss.
Once Katsouranis was sent off after a rough challenge on Makoto Hasebe, Greece withdrew into a defensive setup and held firm. Even short-handed, Greece was better organized against Japan and avoided any critical mistakes.
Japan defender, Atsuto Uchida said he could sense Greece building a wall around the goal as soon as Katsouranis was sent off.
“I had a bad feeling about it. It happens a lot in soccer, when a team goes down to 10, they know exactly what they need to do. And that also happens to be exactly Greece’s way to fighting — to fight by defending,” Uchida said.
Japan pressed forward after halftime and had several chances to score with the best coming in the 68th minute when Shinji Kagawa played a long pass over the top to Uchida, who sent it back across the middle to Yoshito Okubo, who blasted the volley over the net.
Greece goalkeeper, Orestis Karnezis also was forced to make a diving save in injury time to preserve the draw and the point for Greece.
“It was a terrible start, losing a man,” said Greece defender, Sokratis Papastathopoulos. “But we have a point and we have hope … if things go well, let us get four points with a win in the next game — and if God decides that we are eliminated because of the other result, so be it.”
Both teams now have to their next matches to secure a move to the next round. If Ivory Coast beats Greece however, both teams will go home.