Top Stories

SBI World Cup Man of the Match: Sokratis Papastathopoulos

Papastathopoulos-JapanGreece-WorldCup2014-Zimbio

By RYAN TOLMICH

When Greece went down to 10 men in the 38th minute in their clash with Japan, they knew exactly what they had to do from that point forward.

The Greeks assumed their typical defensive position, stayed composed and held on for a critical point in their scoreless draw with Japan, mostly due to the strength and physicality of their defense.

The Greece backline was anchored by Sokratis Papastathopoulos, as the Borussia Dortmund centerback consistently bullied Japanese attackers into mistakes. Papastathopoulos was seemingly everywhere for the Greek defense, who stepped up admirably facing wave after wave of Japanese attacks after going a man down.

Papastathopoulos role in the defensive stand was enough to earn him SBI World Cup Man of the Match honors, beating out teammates Vasileios Torosidis and Kostas Manolas for today’s honors.

What did you think of Papastathopoulos’ play today? Who impressed you the most in Greece’s draw with Japan?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. He was solid, save that one play where he tried dribbling out of his own six and accidentally set the Japanese player up for a golden chance that the guy pushed wide. Must have given Greek fans a heart attack.

    Reply

Leave a Comment