Georgios Samaras struck an injury-time penalty as Greece booked a place in the last 16 of the World Cup with a dramatic 2-1 win over Ivory Coast. The African side had looked to be going through to the knockout stages as Group C runners-up after Swansea's Wilfried Bony cancelled out Andreas Samaris' first-half strike in the 74th minute in Fortaleza. But Greece, who hit the woodwork three times, showed considerable improvement on their earlier performances in the tournament and grabbed victory after Samaras - recently released by Celtic - was felled late on. Greece's next test is against surprise Group D winners Costa Rica.
Meanwhile, James Rodriguez enhanced his growing reputation with an influential display as a second-half substitute as Colombia set up a mouthwatering clash with Uruguay after a 4-1 victory over Japan in Cuiaba guaranteed them top spot in Group C. The Monaco playmaker was initially rested with qualification assured but his introduction at half-time added a touch of class as his side raced clear after the break. Rodriguez and another of their key performers in Brazil Juan Cuadrado played integral parts with the latter converting an early penalty before the former's immediate impact saw him set up two goals for Jackson Martinez before scoring one himself. Japan's hopes of taking second place and sneaking into the last 16 were raised briefly when Shinji Okazaki equalised with the final touch of the first half but they lacked the threat of their opponents in the final third and it ultimately cost them.
