RECIFE, Brazil, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The performance of Costa Rica in the 2014 World Cup reminds Greece coach Fernando Santos of the day when they won the Euro champions in 2004.
Just like the Greece in the 2004 Euro, Costa Rica showed up as the biggest dark horse in Brazil. The "Les Ticos" defeated former world champions Uruguay and Italy in the "death group", which brougt them back to the last 16 after 14 years waiting.
"In the Group of Death, they were saying the three former world champions will qualify, but Costa Rica showed the opposite," Santos said in a news conference on Saturday, "They reminded me of Greece in 2004 when an unknown team had the historic achievement. So we must pay attention to them."
As runners-up in Group C, Greece moved into the World Cup's knockout stage for the first time in the history. Santos is looking forward to his team going further
"It is an opportunity for us to rewrite the history, and we should go on and continue to enjoy playing in this unique tournament," said the 59-year-old.
Greece defender Vassilis Torosidis, who played for Italian Serie A side Roma, felt confident to the match against Costa Rica on June 29.
"They are very well-structured team with good tactics, but we have a good chance to qualify, and we hope to repeat the achievement of those players in 2004," Torosidis said.
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