Costa Rica vs. Greece 2014 - Watch the Live Stream Free: Start Time, ESPN Schedule, Lineups & Predictions, En Vivo on Univision
When Costa Rica drew a Group D selection, few gave hope of advancing. After the dust settled, La Sele stood atop a group containing Italy, England, and Uruguay, who were eliminated with a penalty kick loss to Brazil yesterday.
They progress out of the opening round for the first time since 1990 and are tied among World Cup teams for fewest goals allowed. With coach Jorge Luis Pinto's team fully intact, there's no reason to believe they can't continue the trend.
The role of Cinderella fits this small, Central American team, but there is no doubt Costa Rica will be a favorite heading into Sunday's tilt with Greece.
George Samaras' extra time goal against Ivory Coast steered the Greeks into their first-ever trip into the Round of 16.
Galanolefki's World Cup started with a 3-0 loss to Colombia, but draws with Japan and tie Cote D'Ivory helped them back their way into the knockout stage. Luckily, captain Kostas Katsouranis is back from suspension, boosting a squad that's carries a negative (-2) goal differential.
When: Sunday, June 29, 2014
Where: Arena Pernambuco, Recife
Kick-off: 4:00 p.m. ET
Live Stream: Watch ESPN, Univision En Vivo
TV: ESPN
What to Watch For:
Costa Rica's stalwart defense - The Tico's have only yielded one goal, a penalty shot against Uruguay. This comes after losing five of six friendlies in preparation for the World Cup.
Goalkeeper Keylor Navas has saved seven of eight shots on target, though one wouldn't expect Greece to have as many chances. Costa Rica has a lot of confidence going in and has a good chance of becoming the first Concacaf team to reach the Round of 16.
Joel Campbell vs. Greek defenders - Joel Campbell is the spark in an offense that mowed through three former World Cup champions. He's been instrumental in nearly every goal, including scoring and assisting in their opening win over Uruguay.
Campbell ignited Costa Rica's comeback against La Celeste by netting an equalizer and following up with an assist. The Arsenal striker doesn't have the notoriety of a Neymar or Ronaldo, but is destined to.
Look for Campbell to strike early, especially given Greece's knack for tightening up in the second half. Campbell is Tico's ticket into the next round.
Prediction - Scoring chances will be few and far between on both sides, but Campbell and Costa Rica will take advantage. Costa Rica 1-0
Projected Lineups:
Greece (4-3-3): Orestis Karnezis, Jose Holebas, Sokratis Papastathopolous, Kostas Manolas, Vasilis Torosidis, Andreas Samaris, Giorgos Kragounis, Giannis Manitis, Lazaros Christodoulopolous, Georgios Samaras, Dimitris Salpingidis
Costa Rica (5-4-1): Keylor Navas, Junior Diaz, Michael Umana, Giancarlo Gonzalez, Oscar Duarte, Cristian Gamboa, Christian Bolanos, Celso Borges, Yeltsin Tejeda, Bryan Ruiz, Joel Campbell