Mexican pain and Greek tragedy

Both Mexicans and Costa Ricans speak Spanish. Spanish-speaking Americans who supported Mexico in the World Cup were shattered when they found their team defeated by the Netherlands. With a defeated heart as they were watching the next game between Greece and Costa Rica they obviously supported Costa Rica with a faint hope of victory against Greece knowing full well that Greece has already been proven to be a very strong team. But when Costa Rica won the game at the tragedy of Greece, pain-struck Spanish-speaking fans in both North and South America shed their tears of joy.
Hollanders scored goals to give their nation a 2-1 victory over Mexico and won a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals. Giovani Dos Santos initially gave the Mexicans the lead in the 48th minute till Sneijder equalised for the Dutch. Huntelaar, who came on as a 76th-minute substitute, scored the winning goal from the penalty spot deep in injury time after Rafael Marquez brought down Arjen Robben in the area.
It was a defeat Mexicans found too painful to bear. It was indeed heartbreaking again for Mexico, as in six consecutive World Cup tournaments, Mexico has made it to the second round. But they have never gone further. The last time the team made the quarterfinals was when it hosted the tournament in 1986.
It was the fourth straight win for Holland at the World Cup after trouncing the defending champion Spain 5-1 and beating Australia 3-2 and Chile 2-0 in Group B. The Dutch will next face Costa Rica in the quarterfinals on Saturday in Salvador.
Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa had bravely kept his team in the match with two great saves to preserve the lead in the second half, but he was beaten by Sneijder's powerful drive and guessed wrong when diving in an attempt to stop Huntelaar's penalty.
The penalty decision was again a question to fans and neutral spectators. The Mexican Manager Miguel Herrera believes a Mexican victory was snatched away by the Portuguese referee Pedro Proenca, whose questionable call against defender Rafa Marquez led to Huntelaar's game-winning penalty shot. He demanded that the Portuguese referee should be sent home as he has given Arjen Robben an "invented" penalty. Herrera insisted the referee was responsible for his team's exit, and questioned why a European official was taking charge of a game involving a European team.
Fans of Holland became mad out of ecstasy. They were jumping up and down, being hugged by fellow fans and friends in merrymaking. They were in revelry.  
In the next game of the day, Greece was better than Costa Rica though they could not show much skills and flair. Costa Rica, in the eyes of many connoisseurs, was not expected to bring any flavour in the game. The only strength Costa Rica perhaps had, many naysayers believed, was a crowd of beautiful supporters. Oh no. They were 180-degree wrong. Costa Rica has smashed Greece. What a Greek tragedy!
Costa Rica has made history; they have shown their superb team effort. They kept going with only ten men against eleven Greeks, hanging on for over an hour and then won the game full of suspense and thrills with some clinical penalties. They had to lose their one man who got two yellow cards, meaning a red card. In the American vulgar style I may say: "Bloody hell Costa Rica, you have played yourselves literally skimming the ground in a magical fashion with 10 men for half the game and came out on top. Well done. We salute you!"
Some purists may credibly argue that neither side showed real quality game, but no one would question the intensity of efforts both put! Both sides were out on their feet at the end. The Greeks were by and large the better team, but they didn't or couldn't take their chances. Costa Rica was a bit luckier.
Costa Rica killed the game a bit too early with a goal but had to face what it deserved when the Greeks equalised. Both teams defended like their lives depended on winning the game.
Navas has been great! He was a brilliant goalkeeper who saved Costa Ricans towards the end of the tournament and then saved in the shootout.
Dutch and Costa Rican heroes triumphed, commentators went crazy in their screaming and the fans roared in both the games on Sunday. The commentators cheered the Hollanders and the Costa Ricans. But in their commentaries and tones they sounded surprised, amazed and awestruck too. Dutch and Costa Rican fans went wild. They couldn't believe that they could beat their opponents at the end of the day.
In the tumultuous milieu, however, many fans were found sobbing. Not all of them were crying at the pain of their defeats. Many of them had tears of joy coursing southward over their chains.
There is a belief that when a person cries, and the first drop of tears comes from the right eye, it is happiness. But when it rolls first from the left eye it is pain. It was difficult for the cameramen to catch the first drop coming from the right or the left eye; but their lenses could brilliantly catch Mexican pain and Greek tragedy, based on their costumes and facial make-ups.
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