Advertisement

Soccer-Samaras penalty sends Greece through, breaks Ivorian hearts

FORTALEZA, Brazil, June 24 (Reuters) - A stoppage time penalty from Giorgios Samaras sent Greece into the last 16 of the World Cup for the first time with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast. The Africans were seconds away from heading into the second round themselves after Wilfried Bony's 74th minute equaliser looked to have given them the point they needed to progress. But Samaras went down inside the box and rose to convert the penalty and send his team through to play Costa Rica in the second round. Substitute Andreas Samaris gave Greece the lead in the 42nd minute beating Boubacar Barry following a mix-up in the Ivory Coast defence. (Reporting By Simon Evans, Editing by Nigel Hunt)