Samaras won and converted a 93rd-minute penalty as Greece edged the Ivory Coast 2-1 to finish second to Colombia in Group E.
The Celtic striker felt his team deserved their victory, despite needing the late slice of luck to set up a meeting with Costa Rica on Sunday.
"I think we controlled the game for most of the time. We scored a goal and hit the post a few times," Samaras told the BBC.
"They scored a goal, I don't know how.
"We tried in the last 15-20 minutes to win because we knew we had to win to get into the next round.
"We gave everything we had and in the end the gods and the luck was on our side.
"We are really proud about our achievement. I am proud of ourselves, of our team.
"I hope we gave a smile back to the people back in our country."
