Greek captain retires after World Cup loss

Greece’s captain has retired from international football after his team was eliminated from the World Cup round of 16 in Brazil.

Giorgos Karagounis retired after the game on Sunday as Greece’s most-capped player, having made 139 appearances over 15 years of play.

He made his start in 1999, and was a member of Greece’s 2004 European Championship-winning squad.

Greece lost to Costa Rica in a shoot-out on Sunday, after it couldn’t capitalise on having an extra man for nearly an hour after Oscar Duarte drew a red card in the 66th minute at Arena Pernambuco in Recife.

“You don’t always get such breaks in life,” Karagounis, 37, said after the loss, adding that his team would leave the World Cup with “our heads high”.

Greece made it to the second round of the World Cup for the first time in its history.

Coach Fernando Santos is also expected to leave the team after his contract expires on Monday.