Costa Rica buried predictions of their early demise to emerge into the knockout stages of the World Cup for only the second time with a 1-0 Group D win over Italy on Friday that sent England crashing out.
Forward Bryan Ruiz headed powerfully home a minute before halftime to leave Costa Rica fans dancing in the sunshine at Recife’s Arena Pernambuco and mocking those who thought they would be the sacrificial lambs in one of the tournament’s toughest pools.
The watertight defense and quickfire counterattacks that helped unpick Italy ensure they are going to be a handful for any future opponent, while they could even be dark horses to go deep into the knockout stages.
Photo: Reuters
“Today is very special,” ecstatic coach Jorge Luis Pinto said.
“We knew today we could make history and we have been able to do so. That’s what I told my players today, let’s respect the past because it is very positive, but today let’s change history. We have played an historic team, so of course we feel really proud, our team feels proud, our country feels proud. I am very demanding as a coach and I know this is sometimes hard for my players, but today they have given everything,” he said.
Costa Rica top the group with six points, having beaten Uruguay in their first game, while Italy, three points adrift, now need at least a draw from their final game against Uruguay, also on three points, to go through on goal-difference.
Photo: Reuters
In making the last 16 for the first time in 24 years, the Central Americans ensured England became the latest team to make a surprise early exit, leaving at the group stages for the first time since 1958.
While Costa Rica may have caused a stir in becoming the first team to make it out of the group, there has been nothing fortuitous about the way they have gained results.
Apart from a brief wobble 30 minutes into the first half when Mario Balotelli wasted Italy’s best efforts, their rigid organization made them almost impenetrable at the back.
Balotelli is one of the most feared striking talents in the world, but he spent most of this match in the pocket of 26-year-old Columbus Crew defender Giancarlo Gonzalez, who skilfully marshalled the Costa Rica backline.
“You do not win matches just because of the titles you have won in the past,” Italy coach Cesare Prandelli said. “Costa Rica worked very hard to get here in excellent shape, they were very organized and are going to go far. It is not a surprise. I said to my colleagues that the team is well-equipped with highly qualified players. I said it would be a challenging group.”
The midday sun reduced the early stages to shadow boxing, with Italy hogging the ball, but strolling round the pitch at walking pace, while Costa Rica were busy, but cautious.
Costa Rica’s back-five pushed high up the pitch to compress the space as Italy sat back and looked to hit on the break, a tactic which almost paid dividends on the half-hour mark as Balotelli was sent clear by a superb through ball from Andrea Pirlo.
However, the striker miscontrolled the ball with his first touch and then tried, and failed, to lob Kaylor Nevas with his second.
As the first half was drawing to a close, Costa Rica showed why they can pose such a threat.
In the space of three minutes, Oscar Duarte headed fractionally over, Joel Campbell had a penalty appeal waved away by Chilean referee Enrique Osses and Ruiz headed them in front.
Junior Diaz floated a beautiful cross to the far post and Ruiz arrived to head it in off the underside of the bar and over the line, with the decision to award a goal confirmed on the big screen.
Italy brought on Antonio Cassano at halftime, but Costa Rica expertly took the sting out of the match, reducing their opponents only to glimpses of goal, while they continued to look threatening on the counter.
The final whistle prompted ecstatic celebrations from the traveling Costa Rica fans, while the players rushed into a huddle. Pinto took stock on the sidelines, collecting his thoughts.
“I was thinking about many things,” he said. “[I was] thanking God, thinking about all those who helped us to achieve this result... and everyone that has supported us.”
Former world No. 2 Paula Badosa has withdrawn from this week’s Wuhan Open, organizers said on Tuesday, amid a racism row over an online photograph. Tournament organizers said the Spaniard had pulled out of the WTA 1000 tournament, citing a gastrointestinal illness, hours before her first-round match against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. News outlets including Britain’s the Telegraph earlier reported that Badosa had posted a photo on Instagram in which she appeared to imitate a Chinese face by placing chopsticks on the corners of her eyes. The photo was taken last week in a restaurant in Beijing, where she reached the semi-finals of the
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
LeBron James and eldest son Bronny James claimed a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles. While LeBron James impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in just over 13 minutes on court. The younger James attempted just one
Italian defender Marco Curto has been banned for 10 matches for racially abusing South Korean forward Hwang Hee-chan while playing for Como 1907 against Wolverhampton Wanderers in a pre-season friendly in July. Curto, who is on loan from Como to Serie B club Cesena, would serve half of the punishment immediately with the other half suspended for two years. “The player Marco Curto was found responsible for discriminatory behavior and sanctioned with a 10-match suspension,” a FIFA spokesperson said. “The player is ordered to render community services and undergo training and education with an organization approved by FIFA.” Wolves said the club would
RSS