Association football

By Karolos Grohmann

Greece captain Giorgos Karagounis announced his retirement from an international football career spanning 139 caps over 15 years following his team's World Cup round of 16 exit to Costa Rica on penalties on Sunday.

"This was my last game for Greece,» the 37-year-old told reporters.

The Netherlands and Costa Rica both had to go through their share of drama in order to qualify for the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup.

The World Cup served up more nerve-shredding drama with Netherlands scoring two late goals to beat shattered Mexico 2-1 and 10-man Costa Rica bouncing back from conceding a stoppage time equaliser to oust Greece on penalties on June 29.

By George Georgakopoulos

The protagonists of Greece’s national soccer team could not hide their disappointment from the way the Blue-and-whites bowed out of the World Cup, losing to Costa Rica in the penalty shootout, but stressed the success this team has achieved by reaching the knock-out stages of the competition for the first time.

By George Georgakopoulos

Greece succumbed in a penalty shootout to 10-man Costa Rica, whose keeper Keylor Navas kept the score at 1-1 throughout extra time and then saved Fanis Gekas’s spot kick to send the Central Americans to the quarterfinals of the World Cup on Sunday night.

By Toby Davis

RECIFE, Brazil - Greece coach Fernando Santos has challenged his team to "rewrite history" when they face Costa Rica in the World Cup's round of 16 on Sunday, but it is a lesson from his side's own past that is making him extra wary.

Brazil and Colombia formed the first quarterfinal pair of the 2014 World Cup, after defeating Chile and Uruguay respectively.

Brazil’s game in Belo Horizonte proved to be much tougher than the home fans had expected. Against a well-organized defensively and quickly counterattacking Chilean team, “Selecao” were pushed to the corner, and escaped on penalty kicks.

Brazilians rejoiced on June 28 when their nervy team edged past Chile to book a place in the World Cup quarter-finals in a nail-biting penalty shootout, while in the other last 16 game, James Rodriguez scored a stunning volley as Colombia downed Uruguay.

Luis Suarez flew home to Uruguay on Friday after being thrown out of the World Cup and banned from football for four months for biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini, who criticized the punishment as "excessive".
   

Galatasaray is in talks with Scottish coach David Moyes for its vacant managerial post, according to reports.

Moyes, who is currently out of a job after departing Manchester United, arrived in Istanbul on June 27 to start talks with the Turkish club.