Goals: Greece—Samaris 42', Samaras 90'+3; Ivory Coast—Bony 74'
Recap: Injustice saw Greece defeat Ivory Coast 2-1 on Tuesday, seeing the team through to the Round of 16.
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The 1-0 lead went to Greece thanks to a strike from Andreas Samaris just before the half. Wilfried Bony would respond after the break, burying a right-footed shot from the center of the box. The result for Ivory Coast was there, but in the dying minutes of the match, referee Carlos Vera pointed to the spot.
Giorgos Samaras left little doubts with his finish, gifting Greece the 2-1 victory and eliminating the Elephants from the 2014 World Cup.
Key Moment: One point, that's all Ivory Coast needed to reach the Round of 16 for the first time in its history. It was there, but referee Carlos Vela took it away. In his eyes, Giovanni Sio committed a foul on Georgios Samaras in the box. He didn't. Self-inflicted contact brought the striker down. The penalty, however, was awarded and Ivory Coast was wrongfully eliminated from the tournament.
Man of the Match: The award belongs to Samaras. The 29-year-old was directly responsible for both of Greece's goals.
Lesson Learned: Poor officiating will eventually taint the 2014 World Cup. A myriad of questionable calls have been the narrative entering today's match, but it was finally directly responsible for a team's elimination. The issue must be addressed by FIFA before it gifts the trophy altogether.
Up Next: Ivory Coast returns home to prepare for the next World Cup cycle, while Greece travels to Recife to battle Costa Rica on June 29.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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