Costa Rica played out a goalless draw with England in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday, enough to claim top spot in Group D after Italy lost 1-0 to Uruguay.
Tuesday's result marked the second time Costa Rica had qualified for the round of 16 since the 1990 World Cup.
During that tournament in Italy, Alexandre Borges came off the bench and played through team-mate Hernan Medford to score the winning goal two minutes from time as Costa Rica defeated Sweden to secure their play in the last 16.
Midfielder Borges - capped 64 times by the national team - was delighted to stamp his mark on Costa Rican football.
"We meet up every night and talk a lot together," Borges told FIFA.com of his father, who also guided Costa Rica to two World Cup appearances in 2002 and 2006.
"He's as excited as I am about how things have going and he's told me to enjoy and make the most of every minute.
"He said that this is a moment and a stage in your football life you might never get back again, and that kind of advice I listen to and respect a lot, of course.
"I'm very proud that I'm now part of my country's football history, just like my dad."
Having defied all odds to reach the second round - an achievement even more remarkable given they emerged undefeated - Borges is determined to see his side silence the critics once again, with Greece their next hurdle.
"We know that most people outside Costa Rica didn't expect us to qualify and we're very happy to have achieved what we have," he said.
"But even if other people doubted us, we always knew that we could do it. And I think you can see that belief in the way we play.
"What's important now is that we keep on aiming higher. We're in with the last 16, which is a massive achievement for us and for the country, but we have real belief we can go further.
"The way we're playing, why shouldn't we be confident? We don't underestimate how difficult it will be but we're here to play and to compete, and that's worked well so far."
