Costa Rica coach Jorge Luis Pinto has called on his side to "think big" in their quest for a first appearance in the FIFA World Cup™ quarter-finals. They play Greece in the last 16 in Recife on Sunday after an impressive Group D campaign that saw them beat Uruguay 3-1 and Italy 1-0 before finishing with a goalless draw against England.
Pinto expects a "complex, counter-attacking" game from Fernando Santos' side and despite the 'Ticos' recent fine form, he admits it will be tough. But the 61-year-old Colombian said Costa Rica had no reason to believe they could not continue their fairytale campaign.
"We have to think realistically, but we have to think big," said Pinto when asked his opinion on media predictions suggesting Costa Rica could make the semi-finals. "But first things first. Let's concentrate on Greece first and try to win that."
Despite Greece's comparatively mediocre group campaign - they squeezed into the last 16 only after a last-gasp penalty secured a 2-1 win over Côte d'Ivoire - Pinto said it's back to square one. He believes Greece can still call on the solid, defensive block that helped them to a surprise title at the European Championships a decade ago. And he predicted they would be an aggressive side that would be difficult to break down.
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